The Adventure of the Freckled Man
by regertz
Summary: -BR and Spike make use of their sleuthing skills and other "unique" abilities while continuing their European honeymoon/sales trip...


The Adventure of the Freckled Man...

Rated PG

Suggested theme- the Adventure of the Freckled Man (Pink Panther) theme

Buffy Rebecca and "Dr." Walthrop make use of their sleuthing skills as well

as their other "unique" abilities while continuing their honeymoon/sales trip

in Europe...

Part I

"...we are not shy...The Moon and I..." Buffy Rebecca sang...From

"The Mikado"...

The Sun Whose Rays...(go to the midi link, minimize this page once music starts)

After all, as long as Warren and Spike had given her musical ability...

And she was in a singing mood...

And "The Mikado" was a favorite of her hubs...Who had been a great

Gilbert and Sullivan fan in his day...the1850-80s...Even after his transformation...

And, of course Yum-yum's song was the one only she knew of that actually contained

the word "effulgent"...which naturally rather pleased William, it having

once been his favorite poetic adjective...

Surely there was reason to sing...

Sis...original Buffy...restored and back in form...Triumphantly...

A new human Slayer, Basey Granger, to assist her as well...A fourth sister counting

Willow...One who it seemed might well provide their dear Watcher with the

companionship he so eminently deserved...

And speaking of dear Willow...Saved from death and vampire transformation...Not to

mention employment by Wolfram-Hart...

Her hubs' quest a success...Human Drusilla at last released...Demon Dru returned to Hell...

Both Walthrops saved from the destruction Dru had planned for them...

Darla restrained and left to Angel...Much as she and Sis might want to deal with their

father Hank's other murderer themselves...

Every day Walthrop moving back towards humanity...Why, if they worked up the nerve

and things all checked out, they could even look forward to having children in due time

thanks to dear old bionetics...dear old Warren...And dear Sis...

And she had learned some valuable lessons...

Three times stronger than the original Buffy she might be but she was not invincible...

And it was time to nip any developing "Greatest Slayer of All Time" arrogance

in the bud...

If she wanted to stay with William...For as long as possible...

Eternity was not forgiving to the foolish and the arrogant...Dru had taught her that at least...

But she... And her beloved...had survived the lesson...

Best of all, the honeymoon was still in full swing, despite the necessary interruptions...

All very much reason to sing...

As for the eminent "cybergenius", "Dr." William Walthrop...

Well...singing would hardly cover it...

A soul, brutally cursed for no sane or just reason...granted salvation...At last, after a

century of torment...

Allowed to give peace to one who had suffered even more than he...

And granted salvation in the form of a loving Buffy Rebecca...

No, there was nothing to cover or express what he felt...

But listening to his wife sing was a start...

They had moved on to the town of Little Wopping on the Tweed on the Scots/English

border after Spike had recovered from his bout of neurosurgery to restore the function

of his electronic conscience, the chip placed in his head by the Initiative, disabled

temporarily by the agents of Wolfram-Hart as part of their alliance with Dru...

The device which had allowed William Walthrop his chance to break loose from his

limbo prison and, with the love of Buffy Rebecca supporting him...and restraining his

equally love-lorn demon, gradually regain the upper hand in the strange mix of demon

and soul that was William the Bloody...

Scotland...Land of moors, kilts, Sean Connery...And a burgeoning tech and biotech

powerhouse...Just the place for the junior partner of W/S Bionetics to begin demonstrating

his sales abilities...

With the Missus to provide the necessary nuts and bolts via her faithful supplemental

memory...Not to mention a unique demonstration of the capabilities of their products...

A sales presentation had been scheduled in Glasgow...Two days from today...

She was nervous but looking forward to it...And pleased that "Dr." Walthrop

had not hesitated to describe her as his partner...

She'd been a little afraid he might have asked her to play hostess...Pouring coffee...

The little woman lending a hand...And sneaking info to him at discrete intervals...

Which would have raised some issues...On the one hand, newly reclaimed Victorian gent

struggling to make good...One must make allowances, let him get acclimated to living as a

human...well, near-human in the modern world...And Warren...dear 'dad' would be counting

on them...

On the other hand...She would then have to smack the smug little pig into next year as

soon as they were safely away...And drag him to a number of consciousness-raising

groups...

In the interest of saving their marriage of course...

But...As she had expected, she told herself...Walthrop had come through...Without

prompting...Or threats...

Drew up the presentation with her...With her to give half...Arranged a caterer to handle

the mundane details...

Good man...A stout fellow as they would have said in his time...

Hmmn...

He didn't have any doubts about her as a hostess did he?...

Suggested themes...Scots Reel; Bonnie Doon

A beautiful place they were staying at...A converted castle an hour and a half from

Glasgow...Dark with mystery and romance...With wind blowing along the battlements at

night...Raising a mournful howl calling out towards the moors and heath...

Beautiful...

But maybe a cheery, crowded little inn for the next stop...She felt she'd had enough dark

and mystery, no offense...

All-in-all married life was treating them very well, considering the obstacles...

Of course there were little problems...A few punk Eurovamps, looking to win points

against the famed Slayer had showed up along the way since the word got out about

Dru's destruction and the latest blow to Wolfram-Hart...

Not much to worry about there...She'd let Walthrop have a few...Just to keep his edge up...

And of course...some little things cropping up...As they settled down and got a taste of what

everyday life would be like...

Spike the demon occasionally grousing from his chip-enclosed prison, wanting to have a

little fun...more violence, please...Popping in at inappropriate moments to offer his

comments on everything including their sex life...

Walthrop's fits of remorse-induced depression...Could he ever be sure that his soul was

truly free?...And he had saddled her, his dear wife, with immortality...No problem, honey, she

insisted... But would his...Spike's, BR gently insisted...crimes haunt, even curse them?...

Her own concerns about her future career...hopefully in Child Psychology, likely to be pre-

empted by her Slaying duties plus her new self-imposed status as Slayer protector...She

knew Giles and the gang would be counting on her to give Buffy and Basey the chance

to reach healthy old age...And if she added "Mom" to the list...

And about him...Was she selfishly endangering his soul by keeping him here, risking

Spike's return to full control one day?...Or was it truly necessary that he stay?...Help

her in the fight against evil and to protect human Slayers...Should she release Walthrop

from Spike and hope to find him again later?...Even though he assured her he loved

being with her and would willingly take the risk to go on doing so...

And the personal adjustments...She snored something awful...He had hideous nightmares

...She had to occasionally sleep in her skin and tissue regeneration biotank...He drank

blood, though now strictly from her own artificial supply and discretely...She had the

sex drive of three Slayers...He was used to sleeping during the day...She left the

bathroom looking like a pigsty...He left the toilet seat up...She loved cooking for them,

but did it badly...Decades of experience left him annoyingly good at doing housework...

Without complaint and better than she could...He was easygoing about finances...

She was no longer...She claimed to hate procrastination...It was his middle name

and he was not above twiting her about all the times she...She liked "Ally

McBeal"...He thought Ms. McBeal a whining twit...He loved "Passions"

...She thought it the most ridiculous thing she ever seen...He loved poetry...She, well...

She liked some of his...Her career goal was Child Psychology...He, as a man of hard

Science, raised in the Rationalist nineteenth century thought Psychology a crock...

At least their interest in music and cybernetics was mutual...

Nothing they couldn't handle...

She checked them both out...Clothes professionally stylish...Hair good...BO minimal...

Teeth brushed...(She double-checked Spike's for blood traces...ok)

Yeah...Not too shabby...she noted, swinging him round in his suit...

Really?...he grinned...

Het-hum...HET-HUM...She glared...

Oh..."You look smashing, dearest..." he grinned at her...

Uh-uh...

Watchers' Council-supplied phony credentials in order...

Ok...Out to the rental...

She grinned at him...He winked at her...In some ways the greatest adventure of

the Slayer and William the Bloody to date...

Trying to Succeed in Business...Without Really Knowing Anything...

They headed into Glasgow for their presentation...Before one of the European Union's

largest conglomerates...

Warren's reputation had preceded them...As had his junior partner's...Even if there had

been nothing done by said partner to merit such a reputation...

"Dr." Walthrop radiated confidence...Which BR hoped was justified...

Could he even spell "cybernetics"?

He had an ace in the hole, he assured her...

She nervously checked to see that her "cybergenius" had remembered to

tightly secure his daylight ring on his finger...A gift from Willow and Wesley allowing

him...And Angel with one made from the same crystal...To go out in daylight...

It wouldn't do for it to fly off when he flailed his arms around trying to give his speech

emphasis...

God, she hated that thing...Much as she enjoyed traveling in daytime with him...

And pleasant as it was to see him happily strolling...

Sooner or later, out the door he'd go...Into the sunlight...Ring still on their bedside table...

What had Willow been thinking of letting him have it?...

Attendance was excellent...The audience interested...And very professional...

The good doctor opened well, she had to admit...

But of course the intro was mostly bold pronouncements of the glorious future of

bionetics with few details...

She took over after his introduction...

And managed fairly well to give some basics of the systems...Thank God for her

good old supplemental memory...

Back to the good doctor...Who was now to give a demonstration of what they had

to offer...

Spike now sprang his little surprise...

"Ladies and gentlemen, my wife is using our limbs right now...She is equipped

with four bionetic limbs..."

She stared at him...Blinking...

The audience members for their part were properly startled...The lovely Mrs. Walthrop

...A quadraplegic?...

And so mobile...You'd never guess...

Ummn...The lovely...the gallant...Mrs. Walthrop was as startled as their guests...

She wasn't a hostess that's for sure...BR realized...

She was the demo...

Partner, eh...

The little...

As the clients came up to inspect her...Like a prized bull, she groaned inwardly...

She was ready to swat her "cybergenius" into next year...

And their praise of her courage and amazing attitude didn't help...

Treating her like this year's poster child for some disease...

And him counting on it...

However...She felt she owed it to dear 'Dad' Warren to make the meeting a success...

And it wasn't a lie per se...She was using bionetic limbs...In fact...

She was 100% bionetic...

After seeing the magnetically sealed access ports on her legs...Provided by Warren

for inspection and repair...opened and some of her limb systems exposed...The

group was properly impressed and offered a generous contract for the European

market...

She smiled sweetly at her beaming husband...Who knew he was dead, but after all

...Was already in that condition...

She'd be ok with it when they had a chance to talk things over, he was sure of it...

After all...They had eternity...

And it wasn't as bad as say...One of his or Angelis' massacres...

One of the last to leave presented himself

Dr. Salcome Vitachi...Count Dr. Salcome Vitachi...

Tall, distinguished, with iron-gray, thick hair...Rather like Burt Lancaster...

So impressed by the gallant young Ms. Summers-Walthrop...

A credit to American courage...An inspiration to the disabled around the world...

She smiled...With the image of Spike suspended from chains in Dru's torture cell

to sustain her...

She was sure she could reconstruct the chamber from her supplemental memory

when they got back to the US...

As honeymooners they would no doubt be travelling to glorious Italy, the count noted...

They must come to Florence...And pay him a call during their stay...

He hung around until long after the last of the others had left...BR managing to be

polite though his stream of compliments...

After all, it wasn't like he was playing up to some movie star or millionairess...

From his pov, she was a brave disabled little nobody...

"Maybe he's into women missing limbs..." Spike helpfully noted to her

after her admirer had left...

She was quiet on the drive back to their castle inn...

Very quiet...

"Dr. " Walthrop did his valiant best to maintain conversation...Despite

his nervousness...

Natural as she was driving...Grimly...At what was approaching 100 miles per hour...

After all...He clearly liked to live dangerously...she noted... ***

But fortunately for the good doctor, events took a sudden turn when they got to the

town near their inn...As evening was falling...

A man lay in the main street of the small town...Had just been found there moments

ago by a couple of good townspeople...Or dimwitted louts, as Spike preferred to call them...

His face and body were badly cut up...But he was not bleeding...There was no blood

left to bleed...

All the blood seemed to have been drained from him somehow...yet his face remained a

fairly healthy shade...With distinctive freckles on the cheeks...

BR examined him...No visible bite scars...

Ummn...Darling...Spike thought...Ummn...Vampire husband...Isolated hamlet, peopled by

superstitious, ignorant idiots...Calling attention to ourselves after a local victim has been

blood-drained...

"Your missus a doctor, sir?..." a largish lout quizzed him...

"Psychologist...But she has lots of medical aid training..." Dr. Walthrop told

him brightly...

"Don't think 'e'll be needin' a shrink..." another youthful moron noted...

"Nor no first-aid neither..."

"I don't suppose there's a hospital nearby?...A doctor?..." Walthrop asked

...As BR continued her exam, much to the louts' amusement...

"Nearest hospital's in Glasgow...Don't think 'e'll be making it...Heh, heh..." the

younger fool chuckled... "The doc here's out to Mrs. Patty's with the sick cow...Won't

be back till night..."

Ah, good old rural Great Britain...I've missed it so...thought Walthrop...

A tall, severely-dressed woman with grayish hair, a little over 40 came forward through the

group...With an air of authority...And the faint glimmerings of an intellect, Spike noted...

"We should get in touch with the local constabulary..." Spike told the woman...

No need, she informed him...

She was the local constabulary...

Rigg...Inspector Anna Rigg...

BR looked up at them from the corpse...

Walthrop was getting more nervous by the minute...Dear, much as I admire your lack of

squeamishness...Rural types here...Could you possibly feign a little "helpless little

woman"...Keep them from deciding to start waving garlic in our faces...

"Did anyone see what happened?..." BR asked them...

Eddie the young lout claimed to have seen all...

The man had sauntered into town, stopped at the Winsel factory gate, continued on...Then

suddenly collapsed...

Stopped at the gate?...

Yes, miss...

She looked at the inspector who seemed a bit miffed at her interrogative work...And asked

her to take charge of the body...

"Come on Spike..." she pulled him along...

"The inn is that way..." he pointed helplessly...

She glared at him...The louts catching her look...

Pretty little wife but I'd bet she makes him dance a tune...

"I want to see that factory...and the gate..."

They reached the gate of the Winset factory...Iron products, tools, nails...

A guard's booth was occupied...About four or five feet from the gate...

BR spoke briefly to the guard, then examined the ground by the gate...

The grass there was mashed down...Over a considered area...

A body-sized area...

She frowned...

Walthrop looked at her...What was she doing?...

"Dinner, sweetheart?..."

That usually got her...No matter how angry she might be with him...

BR loved to eat...

She nodded but...continued to observe the factory grounds as they walked back towards

their inn...

And the group of louts who had followed them over from the dead man's current resting

place...

Something strange was up she told him at dinner...

Nobody's blood just "disappears"...And that man had done more than stop at

the factory...He must have collapsed...possibly for a while...in that grassy field by the

gate...To get it so mashed down...

"And then there was the curious affair of the watchguard..." BR looked at Spike

rather archly...

"The guard? But he didn't see anything..."

BR grinned at him...

Oh...He got it...

If she starts saying "Elementary..." I'm going to smack her little robotic bottom,

whether she lays me up for a week or not...he thought...

The Adventure of the Freckled Man...Part II

In spite of his annoyance at BR's newfound determination to play detective...No doubt

once again interrupting their honeymooning...Walthrop was intrigued...A mystery...An

British (Scot/English border) country village mystery...Complete with castle, dim-witted

louts of villagers, insufferable, insular police...Where he, for once, was not the hideous

object of the hunt...But more important...

Something to get her mind off his little game at the sales meeting that morning...

However she had not forgotten or forgiven that little stunt...

Making her the bionetics poster girl...

Letting those people think she was some poor disabled type...Suffering until the

"cybergeniuses" of W/S Bionetics had shown up on her doorstep...Or

worse yet, the tragically maimed wife, saved by the dedication of her loving

husband...All those long weary hours of work nobly spent in order to ...

Build himself a sexbot...

But he'd never said she'd been disabled...For any length of time...The good folks had

merely jumped to the conclusion...

And where would she be without bionetics, after all?...

"What would Warren say?..."

Probably that he was amazed things had gone so well...Spike noted happily...Warren, his

good buddy and partner who'd designed BR and her amazing artificial human brain for

him, had a fairly easygoing attitude on such things...

She frowned...Well...

"What would Giles say?..."

She had him there...But, when Giles saw the size of the contract...And realized what it would

mean for Buffy's and Dawn's future security...

And soon to wed Xander's and Anya's...Willow's and Tara's...Giles' and Basey's...Even a

certain little hard-pressed investigative firm in LA would benefit...

Hmmn...

Well...She was using bionetics...

But he might have told her what he had had in mind...Asked her about it...Given her a

chance to prepare...Asked her...Allowed her a chance to tone down the pathos...Asked her...

True it hardly compared to his past "escapades"...But still...

He was retreating back into the same territory as when he had selfishly copied Sis' mind

without her knowledge to create her, BR noted...

She was...Disappointed...

Not enough to cancel the contract of course...But...

Walthrop grabbed at the brief pause...

So...About these mysterious goings-on...What had she come up with?...

He had just had a brilliant insight himself...How about this?...

The strange dead man was not a man at all...

In fact...He paused...

"He was a robot, of course..." Buffy Rebecca noted, looking at him...

He'd taken this long to reach that conclusion?...

Oh...

"Well, you examined him of course..." Spike noted...

"Nothing about him except the missing blood to suggest him not being

human..." she told him...

He'd of had to be dissected in order to tell on exam...A good job, whoever had

made him...

Oh...Then...How'd she?...

"Just the logical conclusion...A demon, even a vamp demon, or any underworld

creature...would bleed...something..." she grinned...It was on the tip of her tongue

to say it, he knew...

Well, not a mummy...he told her smugly...That wouldn't bleed...Had she considered that?...

She folded her arms, looking at him...

"Spike...Did he look like a mummy?..."

Inspector Rigg interrupted them rather abruptly...The examination of the corpse had

turned up something rather...She required their attendance at police headquarters

in town...There were questions to be answered...

"We simply stopped to look at him..." Spike insisted... "I don't think

we could help you..."

"We'd be happy to come by..." BR noted sweetly...With a smile for her hubs...

The inspector noted grimly that Ms. Summers-Walthrop misunderstood...She was not

requesting their assistance...She wanted their presence at the station to answer

questions...Immediately...

"Did you disassemble that robot yet?..." Spike asked brightly...

The inspector looked at him rather suspiciously...How did he?...

"Elementary..." he smiled at BR...

BR was now rather annoyed at the inspector's attitude...And at being interrupted in

the middle of her dinner...

Walthrop however was rather pleased to have her annoyance diverted to someone

else...

The inspector transported them over in her car...

Typical, Spike thought...Strange events in a small isolated community...new, unfamiliar

people...Solution...

Arrest or lynch the said new, unfamiliar people...

Nothing ever changes that much...He and Dru had had the same trouble in Prague

years ago...

Of course they actually had been the cause of the strange events then...

The freckled man lay locked in a cell...His chest had been opened...

Rather, smashed open...Spike noted...

To expose a number of electro-mechanical components...None of which Spike...

and secretly his Missus...proudly noted, compared with Warren's handiwork...

Not a bad little exterior job BR thought, reasonably convincing...But not even a poor

copy of an April, really, where it mattered...

And now that she looked at him again...The face was good...passable in the evening

...but the freckles...Looked fake...A strange touch...

Inspector Rigg led them to a table and chairs...A couple of fellow officers stood nearby...

The inspector was curious...Why had Ms. Summers-Walthrop been examining the

body?...And why they did feel compelled to run over to the factory and question the guard?...

BR smiled a bright American blonde smile...She just saw the crowd, the body, and

naturally wanted to help...And then, well...She just loved a mystery...

And, how had they known the man was not a man?...

Spike pointed out that it not being a man...This was hardly a serious matter...No man, no

murder...Why was it necessary to detain them?...

As a naturalized American citizen...Phony papers courtesy Giles and the Council... The

distinguished "Dr." Walthrop was a stickler for the legal niceties...

Inspector Rigg regarded him severely...The device was someone's property...Furthermore,

leaving it in that way had caused a serious disturbance to the town's people...Finally...

"A murder has been committed..."

Eddie...The younger lout who'd "seen everything"...Found stabbed in an

alleyway just half an hour after talking to the Walthrops...

Hmmn...one less slack-jawed idiot waiting to father more like himself, beat the wife

and kiddies into stupor, then croak from drink...Spike thought...Still, the Missus would

have wanted to question him again...

"Poor fellow..." he nodded sympathetically to the inspector...

Obviously the young moron had been concealing something or simply lying to impress

his fellows and them...As he'd been prevented from letting anyone know which...It

argued the former...

"Did anyone see what happened to him?..." BR asked..."Or where he

went after he left us?..."

Sadly no...Just that he'd hung around quietly for a bit, then...Headed straight out

towards the alley where he'd had his fatal encounter...

But the inspector had questions to be answered...for them...

She'd done a little checking before fetching them...She was aware there was a good

reason why the Walthrops had been able to identify a robot so quickly...

"I understand you are a cybernetist yourself, Dr. Walthrop?...A partner in a very

advanced American firm..."

"Well...Our specialty is bionetic replacement organs and limbs...We don't do

much in robot work per se..."

"But...You would be capable of building such a device..."

"Oh...Certainly..." Spike said, brightly...BR rolling her eyes...Idiot...

Conceited, show-offing moron...

Like he could build a can opener without Warren...

"And I have learned you've had some equipment brought here...Rather large

crates of equipment..."

Uh-oh, BR thought...My biotank...

Knew lugging that thing around was going to cause us grief...

"That's actually for me..." she said brightly...

Spike's turn to look at her...

"You see, I use several bionetic limbs...Which have to be soaked in a special

solution periodically to maintain the artificial skin and surface musculature..."

The inspector and the cops looked at her...Oh...

"I'd be happy to show you..."

No, no...Really not necessary...

She agreed it was a strange coincidence that someone's robot had conked out just

in the town where her brilliant...eye bat at Spike... husband and she were staying...

Perhaps someone had learned of their coming and wanted to demonstrate their own

cybernetics skills...Like those young computer hackers who liked to challenge each

other and their elders on the net...

Of course, that poor young fellow Eddie...But...

Not much help they could offer there...

However, she was sure her husband would be willing to examine the robot and offer his

experienced opinion as to its construction and possible manufacturer...

Right, honey?...

While the inspector was a tad less uncivil on learning of gallant Ms. Walthrop's disabilities

...She was clearly still not ready to give them up as potential suspects...But it couldn't hurt

to have the eminent cybernetist's opinion...

Especially when you are so utterly clueless, Spike thought...Well, he could just take a look-

see...And with a little help from BR...In any areas where he might be a little uncertain...

"Go on honey..." BR smiled sweetly...The gallant lady kept her seat...A little

exhausted...You understand...But so proud to watch her "brilliant" hubs in action...

Inspector Rigg grudgingly admitted her people could use some assistance...If Dr.

Walthrop could provide a hint as to the possible manufacturer...

Hmmn...Well, Buf's much too interested to leave me alone with it too long...Spike

thought...

He assumed his best "scholarly cybergenius" attitude and moved to the cell...

However, watching Inspector Rigg look at Buffy Rebecca, Spike noted a slight look in her

face...Not sympathy, exactly, though that was there...Hmmn...Regret?...

Rather a similar, carefully concealed, look on the male cops' faces...Similar to that some

of the men had worn at the Glasgow meeting this morning after he'd sprung his surprise...

Well...Looks like the Missus has some other admirers...

Fortunately the smashing job the inspector's staff had done on the robot had made quite

a mess to sort out...And thanks to Warren and his own earnest attempts to learn a few

bits and pieces, Spike managed to give an air of knowing what he was doing...

"Can you identify the maker, Doctor?..." Inspector Rigg asked...

Ah...Well...Clearly...And unquestionably...An advanced design...Note the pattern of the

circuitry, the wires...Remarkable...

The Powers That Be smiled on Walthrop...For the second time this year...

He found a part...gear works?...motor?...who knew...With a German company's imprint...

Riesler...A well known machine manufacturer...

Ah...He grinned at the Missus...Who reluctantly grinned back...

Ok...Nicely done...

He suggested the inspector contact the firm...No doubt they could find out who might have

purchased such equipment...And from there...

Inspector Rigg nodded...

BR came over...She felt better, thanks, she told the officer who hastened to assist the

gallant lady...

Geesch...They saw her walk in...No need to act like...

"Did you check for access routes to the main computer, dear?..." she asked

sweetly on reaching him and the inspector who had come into the cell to watch...

Ah...Just getting to that...

"Memory...the memory...ah...yes...Thanks for reminding me dear..." he

smiled at her...

Hah...Thought I didn't know what she meant, didn't she...Spike beamed...

Good old Warren...One thing he always emphasized...And Walthrop had paid strict

attention to...The memory system...

After all, BR's little brush with death had started with memory system failure...

Now, just need to find...

"Spike!..." she shrieked as he grabbed a cable...And an electrical discharge

crackled through the room...

Fortunately the one receiving the shock was at the least risk of death of any in the room

...Even his wife...

Unfortunate, but a hazard of dealing with such jury-rigged equipment, BR noted to the

inspector after Spike had accidently erased the robot's memory systems...

Fortunately he was not hurt beyond a slight stunning...And the inspector bought BR's

explanation...

Though they'd all been amazed at the speed with which she'd reached Walthrop and

carried him out...

Amazing...Just like that American TV series about the rebuilt cyborg dog and his rebuilt

female owner...

After a few more questions and a promise to remain in the vicinity, the Walthrops were

allowed to return to their castle inn...

After a brief stop at the grocery in town...The inn kitchen having certainly closed by now,

BR did not intend to return without something to eat...

Their host welcomed them at the door...Angus Ichiro McGregor...Scot-Japanese by birth

...He'd heard they'd been called away...And hoped they'd not been given too rough a

time by the "damned Englishwoman"...Always fussing about...Bothering

honest people...Silly English bureaucrats...

Castle in Scotland, town in England...

BR was amused...Still the old feuds...Europeans...

Yes...Spike noted...Rather like visiting the California-Arizona border during a dry season...

Up in their room, they briefly discussed their little mystery while BR finally finished her

meal and "Dr." Walthrop satisfied his "special nutritional needs

" courtesy of his wife's blood synthesizer...

Not that he hadn't enjoyed his dinner earlier...After removing the kidney from the steak

and kidney pie that he'd ordered in a fit of nostalgia...

It was just...It had left him feeling unsatisfied...

Why a robot?...Here of all places...

Maybe he was on honeymoon too...Spike noted...

She was not amused...Was he by any chance comparing her to that pile of gears?...

Even April and her hybrid descendant, Buffy-April, had been light-years ahead of that thing...

And as for her...

But why had the boy been murdered?...What could have been so important?...

"Well, dear...There's no reason to assume he was killed over our freckled friend,

necessarily"...

Spike...In a small town like that...Barely half an hour after we left... five or ten minutes after

he left his friends...

A robbery, a bad drug-deal, another one of our friendly Eurovamp greeters, preferring not

to use teeth...

"No, it was connected..." she insisted...She had a sense about this...

Hardly Holmesian...he thought...A "sense"?...

Pending any further need to run over to Glasgow to settle matters they were free for the

next four days before heading to the continent...

She wanted to scout around town, speak to the friends of the murdered boy...

While he could assist Inspector Rigg with identifying the robot's maker...And keep her

off BR's back...

"Actually, Buffy...I think the good inspector would much prefer it the other way

round..." he grinned...

Glare...

Ah...So she noticed it too...An amusing story for Red when they get home, for sure...

"Maybe you're right...Perhaps you'd better just try to stick my tank together

tomorrow...We don't need to have Spike mucking things up..."

Now just a minute...Spike's been behaving himself...And we're perfectly capable of handling

those lumpen dolts...he thought...

"Buffy Rebecca, I can certainly deal with some little town police inspector and her

puppies..."

Her chin on hand, she grinned at him...

I've been had...He realized...A day at Inspector Detector's with her and her feeble-minded

crew...

"Well...Maybe I'll just..."

A shot rang out...And the window overlooking the yard shattered...

Spike was knocked to the floor, feeling a sharp pain along his side...As though someone

had shot him with a high-powered weapon at medium range...

A long-lived vampire of infamous reputation...With plenty of victims' relations about...Gets

a lot of experience in such things...

Buffy Rebecca was by his side as he came to...She would have faked a little more blase

attitude given her previous anger and her knowledge of vampires' insensitivity to bullets...

Except that the floor was fairly well soaked with her husband's blood...Which did not fit into

what Giles and her past experience with vampires had taught her regarding vampiral lead

tolerance...

Spike noted Mr. McGregor and a hastily summoned Inspector Rigg were beside them as

well...The only thing keeping his wife from starting an instant transfusion...From her on-board

synthesizer...

The inspector urged an ambulance be called...BR seemed a bit paralyzed...An ambulance?...

Spike informed her that he would be fine...Just needed some bandaging...McGregor hurried to

get what he could for them...

He regarded his wife who took her cue from him...Though she was thinking the ambulance

might not be such a bad idea...Even if it entailed some risk...

The inspector noted that "Dr." Walthrop had suffered considerable blood loss...

She felt an ambulance...

BR smiled nervously and setting to work at once, assured her that she could stop the

bleeding...Angus Ichiro returned with bandaging materials and noted that an ambulance

would take too long in any case...Coming from the English side as it would...Dawdling

bureaucrats...

Fortunately it would have...Given the nearest one was over an hour away...And as she

saw the bleeding soon had stopped the inspector let the matter rest and settled for

calling the town doctor...

Who congratulated Mrs. Walthrop on her skill...And "Dr." Walthrop on his

remarkable stamina...

They managed to avoid a hospital transport...Again a long trip which the doctor felt was

best avoided...The town infirmary would do nicely, given the young man's surprisingly

good condition...

If I were human, I think we'd have a nice little malpractice suit in the making...Spike

thought...

After they'd been left alone in the infirmary, and she'd had a chance to slip him some of her

blood stock, BR showed him what she'd found in their room during the confusion of his being

examined and relocated...

A small, bullet-sized, wood spear...He'd been shot with a wood spear...

Scorched enough to confirm that it had been fired from a gun...

Someone was aware of the good doctor's "high lead tolerance"...And taken

appropriate measures...

Her shock and remorse were not poses however...She was terrified...He'd almost died...

All due to her not listening to him...Wanting to play detective and drawing attention to

themselves...

And then, being angry at him...

What if he'd died while she was still mad at him?...Maybe it would have loused up his

redemption?...In the vampire movies someone had to be mourning and praying for the

victim's soul when they died or else...

Of course...That would have been his fault...He had to be sarcastic about everything...

Everyone...Always baiting her...

She loved him but sometimes...

The Adventure of the Freckled Man...Part III

BR was on patrol...All night if need be...

The distinguished "cybergenius"' remarkable recuperative powers had allowed

her to get him out of the infirmary and back to their castle inn within a couple of hours...

With the aid of painkillers he was sleeping more or less peacefully...For a vampire still

adjusting to night sleeping...

She was determined to prevent another assault...Obviously someone...Someone with a

surprising amount of information about them...Was involved in the earlier attack...

Another agent of Wolfram-Hart's perhaps?...

But what did, if anything, a freckled-faced damaged robot and a young murdered local fellow

have to do with the attack? Was there any connection?

Well, yeah...Us...she thought...

She needed to speak with someone...To discuss the situation...And fortunately had the

means to do so...

Spike's great times four grandniece, Amelia Walthrop-Hunt, Council of Watchers member

...And soon to be Watcher of new human Slayer, Basey Granger...had presented them with

a gift before they left southern England...

A match for one she arranged to be sent to Giles and the gang, from the Council...A portable

computer with satellite link-up for rapid communication...

Long overdue tech upgrade for the Sunnydale team...

Amelia's had certainly come in handy during the battle with Dru and her allies...

BR naturally called the person best able to understand her and her fears...Her sis, Buffy...

Who was very pleased to get the call...Courtesy a telecom satellite link to US phone lines

...Being a wee bit down in the dumps...

Warren, BR's "dad", and Buffy's "stop-gap" potential guy, having

decided to go on a trip and try patching things up with his former fiancee...Though she'd

been careful to keep the door open in case dear Katrina slammed hers in his face...

Leaving her 0 for 5...Angel, Parker, Riley, Spike (if you counted her BR memory-merged

period of infatuation...Which in her slightly depressed mood, she did), and Warren...

But...hey, she'd get by...After death and vamp transformation, losing both parents, nearly

losing Willow...It'll take a lot more than a break-up to knock her down...

Besides...their friend Professor Drages...aka Byzantine Emperor Constantine XXX,

Commander of the Knights of Byzantium...was still on the lookout for a consort for his

young appointed successor, Basil...

If all else failed...Empress Buffy Theodora...Not so bad...

Still, it was great to here sis' voice...How'd the big meeting go?...

The good doc hold his end up?...Or, as Buffy expected, had she had to cover?...

Fine, fine...William had been wonderful...The contract was going through...She'd helped a

bit...

But there was some trouble...

As always... Buffy sighed...

She was saddened to hear their honeymoon had been interrupted yet again...

But glad to hear her brother-in-law had not yet been granted the Slayer's Gift...

The robot mystery sounded intriguing...And given the setting BR described...Very

Holmesian...

But if someone knew Spike was a vamp, they were in serious danger...Again...

She'd get things moving with Giles and Willow at once...See if any remnants of

Wolfram-Hart were still kicking enough to try a stunt like that...Or if any other evil force

might be noted as active in their area...

She knew however that BR would get Spike back in one piece...Still...

"I know it won't do any good to say this, sis...But you be careful too..."

A steady background sound of muffled groans and fidgets indicated that Dawn was in the

vicinity and eager to say hi...

New enemies every time they turn around...How are they ever going to manage having

children?...Buffy thought as she handed the phone to a very happy Dawn...

Walthrop awoke the next morning to find an exhausted-looking Buffy Rebecca hovering

anxiously over him...

"Were you up all night?..." he asked her... She nodded...

Thank goodness Warren had beefed up her power systems with an additional atomic cell

before they left for Europe...Nervous about the electrical systems differences and their

effects on her batteries...

But she still needed to sleep...And her skin and surface musculature would soon be

needing that biotank...

He'd get right to it...Walthrop announced...Swinging his legs to the side...

And collapsing on the floor...

Perhaps another day's rest...

She insisted there was no need to rush...If necessary...And safe for him...She'd work on the

tank later in the day when he was a little better...

However, she noted...There was no reason she couldn't get some sleep now...If the good doctor

would make a little room...

Well...Spike noted to her...We've one up on Holmes and Watson...

Except in that one movie version...

She grinned at him...Kissed his nose...And started a hug...

Oops...The joy that kills...Painwise...

Sorry...

Talk about star-crossed lovers he noted...We're becoming a regular Buffy and Angel...

Angus' wife Margaret came by to check on them around noon...Tapping discreetly...

Buffy Rebecca met her at the door...Patient's doing fine, thanks...

In fact, she felt she could leave him for a few minutes...To get their lunch...And perhaps to check

their boxes of equipment...

"Ok, honey?..." she turned to him... "Back in just a bit..."

He nodded...Rats...he was just getting to tolerate the pain of her arm around him...

She left, looking at him worriedly...She'd be right back...Promise...

He smiled at her...If anyone had told him just three months ago...

She left, hesitating to close the door...

God, what a beautiful scent she had...It inspired him...

Now, what rhymes with "Buffy's scent"?...Hmmn...Ah...

What else...effulgent...Well it could be made to rhyme...

"Oh, let me but drown in Buffy's scent...

Its power is so...effulgent..."

Yeah...

Or maybe change Buffy to BR...

Even better...

Angus was happy to escort to her and her husband's equipment...In a dank

basement...

Which had, naturally, once been a dungeon...

He was even happier to hear Dr. Walthrop had not died in the night...

She thanked him...She'd be back up in a mo...Just needed to check over the inventory...

One of the crates had been broken open...A board pulled out, then shoved back more or less

in place...

Nothing taken or damaged...

Hmmn...Possibly just a thief...Or someone who was looking to see what the Walthrops had

brought along...

Perhaps a fellow cybernetist?...

She heard a sound...In the back of the room...And was there in a second...To grab...

A short, freckled man...Definitely human...And quite startled to find himself firmly in the

astonishingly powerful grip of a slight young blonde...Though he refrained from crying out...

The image of the robot lying in Inspector Rigg's station cell...

She'd found her robotmaker...Or at least the robot's model...

"I don't want to hurt you..." she told him... "And you obviously don't want

anyone else to find you here..."

He nodded, understanding the situation...And looked at her with a professional interest...

"Sure you're too good for an android...You some kind of gymnast?..." he asked

her in a low voice...

Vampire-Slayer she explained...

No need to give all the details just yet...And she did not think of herself as an android...

Human with a robot body, perhaps...

Through Warren would have been pleased that a competitor had called her "too

good for an android"...

Fields, Timothy Fields was his name...

And yes...He was...Well he was one of the creators of the robot they'd encountered...

Well...Why was he here...And why had he or someone taken a potshot at her husband?...

A shot?...At Dr. Walthrop?...

From the rather awed pronunciation of "Dr. Walthrop" she realized was in

the presence of a fan...Her hubs had an admirer...At least in the scientific sense...

He'd meant no harm...Just wanted to see what the famous Dr. Walthrop was up to these

days...And, if possible...To meet him...

Meet Spike?...The "famous Dr. Walthrop"?...

But his company had only been in existence a little over two months...

A little over two months was a lifetime in their field, Tim explained...

Everyone...In cybernetics...Was talking about W/S...They were the new kings of the field,

the world's cutting edge...

Really?...My Warren and my Spike...The "kings of the field"...Well...

But what was he up to with that robot?...And what about that poor kid who'd been killed?...

And again, what about that shot?...

The robot...Well he'd heard Dr. Walthrop would be in town...A once in a lifetime opportunity

to meet the leader in the field...When he was literally in the field...And make an impression

with his own little achievement...Tim, Jr...

And perhaps...If he made enough of an impression...The good doctor might consider...

Reviewing his resume...

A job...This was about a job?...But the mashed field, the guard who saw nothing...The

dead kid...And again...that shot

Well, see miss...Mrs. Walthrop...he didn't actually own Tim Jr...exactly...Tim was the

property of the Winset company...Though he had been the primary creator...And modeled

him after himself...

He'd borrowed him...Just for a bit...To show Dr. Walthrop what he was capable of...

Only...Well...Nothing had quite gone right...

So...The Winset company made more than tools and nails...she noted...

Oh, that was the old days, miss...No profit in that anymore...Koreans and such have that

market long beat...No, Winset was trying to catch up to the modern world...At least in its

special development section...

Well...Why was the robot so badly cut up?...

Umm...Well...He hadn't exactly had permission to take it...It was in fact locked up and

stored away...He'd had to have it break out of a few barriers...Some storage chains...

A grill barred door...Some barbed wiring...

Well, that explained that...But...Why didn't the guard see him?...

Came up by the rear freight elevator...the mashed area in the grass covered the elevator

exit cover...The research section was underground in that area...Out of the gatehouse

view...

Oh...But why hadn't he brought it...the robot...to them...And what about Eddie?...And the

shot?...

Miss, I don't know about the shot...The robot...Well, Tim Jr was knocked a little wonky

by the breakout...Conked out on the way into town...As for Eddie...

Eddie was his pal...Helping to cover Tim Jr's breakout...If anyone in town had seen Tim

and Tim Jr together...The Winset folks might have learned what had happened...Before

he could've smuggled the robot back inside the main lab...

He'd just been covering for him, poor fellow...But after Tim Jr collapsed he was just trying

to divert attention so he...Tim could have a chance to haul off...

But as to why anyone would have killed him...He had no idea...Couldn't imagine even the

Winset folks'd be that angry...If they'd even known of him...

Naturally after he'd heard old Ed was killed...He'd freaked and kept out of sight...Until he

decided to try and see the good doctor...Who might possibly be able to help him...As a fellow

cybernetist...He just wanted a proper chance to explain things to the police...Before

someone...whoever killed his pal...caught up with him...

Hmmn...she thought it over...

Perhaps the good doctor might be willing to meet with him...

The Adventure of the Freckled Man...Part IV

Young Mr. Fields was awe-struck to be in the presence of that renowned genius, that

towering icon of cybernetics, Dr. William Walthrop...

Who despite his recent injuries gave his new disciple a fine performance as learned sage...

And partner of Dr. Warren Mears of like reputation...Who fortunately had managed to

impart just enough basic terminology to his colleague to let him slide by in a situation

where vague bold statements and no details were required...

Such as now...In part thanks to BR's insistence that Tim not weary her recovering

husband too much with detailed questions...

But she had wanted Spike to see their mysterious fellow robotmaker...And help

determine if the young man was telling the truth about simply wishing to meet his

new hero of Science...

With her speed, she had figured she could easily knock the boy unconscious if he

tried anything once in the room...Even if she couldn't kill a human...

Spike, though still aching from his wound, was clearly in his element...

He really did have a talent for presentation, BR noted...Must be his poet's nature...

And he had definitely picked some up of his and Warren's former employer's, the crazed Dr.

Severn, bombastic nature...

Which served him rather well in impressing his current audience...

She couldn't help smiling at Walthrop...As he ranted on to the hero-worshiping Tim

about the "glorious possibilities of bionetics..."

Hell, I admit...BR thought...I'm proud of the little twerp...

She looked at the two...Spike clearly saw something of his old human self in young Tim...

While she saw...

A determined young man with no friends or help but his devoted mother struggling from

poverty into Cambridge University...

Dreaming of creating great beauty...

Another budding H.G. Wells?...A Joyce?...Yeats?...Well...Maybe not...

But, who knows what might have happened if he'd been allowed his chance...she thought

loyally...

Cheated out of the fruits of his hard work and effort by an unjust fate...

Locked in a hideous prison of violence and helplessness for a century...Yet somehow,

gradually breaking through his limbo walls to reach out...

And cry out his humanity in a desperate plea...

To her...

The love song of William Soames Walthrop...

When she had recovered from her reverie...and could see straight again...

She realized they were finally discussing the events of the past evening...

And Spike was getting a tad out of his depth...

Tim was describing the robot's control systems...He was pretty far from an April, let alone

a Buffy Rebecca...Basically just an advanced automaton, guided by either remote control

or able to home in on a special signaling transmitter following a few basic movement

programs...

But still a nice accomplishment for a young engineer...With no access to bionetic

technology...

But wait...The robot had to be guided or follow a signal...So...Did Tim have the controller on

him...Could she see it?

Spike nodded wisely...Ah, the controller...Must have a look at that...

No, miss...It was still locked up at Winset...He'd used his homing unit...Which he'd used

in the lab for field tests...

"Then surely you have the homing control with you..."

"No, miss...Ms. Walthrop..." Tim told her... "Ed had the homing control on

him..."

He explained that Ed was to lead Tim Jr. through the town...Down to the inn where

he...Tim...would meet up with them...Avoiding any chance of both Tims being seen close

to the factory...And spring his little demo on the distinguished Dr. Walthrop...

"And you're sure Eddie had the control?..."

Yes, miss...The robot was going to him like a puppy after a treat when it conked...

Hmmn...The inspector never mentioned that...Finding anything connected with the robot

on the dead boy...

Perhaps turning Tim over to her just yet wasn't such a good idea...

She asked for a moment with William and explained the situation to him...

Well?...she looked at Spike...

He was thoughtful...Something not quite right here...But not anything the chip could detect

per se...Definitely not a demon or vamp...

But the story didn't explain young Ed's murder...Though Tim seemed sincere...

She pondered...Looking at Walthrop in his bed...She couldn't sit and wait around for the

assassin to try again...

She needed to find out if the boy had still had the control on his body when found...

Ummn...Couldn't it wait?...

Not that he didn't think she could handle those idiots...

She'd be alright...She promised...

And promised to be careful...Honest...

She meant to complete this honeymoon...

She called Tim back in...Walthrop smiling at his 'protege' reassuringly...

"Tim...Before I bring you over to the police, I have to check on some things in town

...I want you to stay with my husband...See no one comes near him he doesn't know...

" she looked seriously at the young man...Who nodded...

She kissed Walthrop nervously who gave her a hand squeeze and thumbs up...Tim,

blushing a bit tried his best to look away...

She paused at the door and turned back to them...

"And Tim...You've seen how strong I am...If I'm wrong about you...And

anything...Anything...Happens to William while I'm gone..." she looked at him grimly...

"God have mercy on you for I won't..."

The love song of Buffy Rebecca Summers-Walthrop...

Tim watched her go down the stairs, open-mouthed... Spike grinned at him...

"Devoted girl, my missus..."

Tim nodded...

Aye, sir...Eh, sir?...

Yes, lad...

"This Vampire-Slayer thing...Is that some kind of sports thing?...Martial-arts...wrestling,

maybe...back in the States...? A team?..."

"Women's sports...She's been at it for years...Semi-professional..."

Ah...He thought so...Must be very strenuous sport...He'd never met a woman so strong...

And yet so little...

Appearances, Tim...Deceiving, you know...Spike looked at Tim carefully...

Yes, sir...

Buffy Rebecca reached the police station office and, deciding to take the direct approach,

asked to see Inspector Rigg...

The inspector greeted her and inquired as to the condition of her poor husband...She'd been

planning to come up in a bit...Though sadly had nothing new to report as to who might have

been responsible for the attack...

BR nodded...She had a question, posed by her husband who noted some particulars about

the robot...

Had anything been found on the dead boy?...Something say like a small transmitter or

remote control device?...

The inspector was a bit startled...No...Nothing...The doctor had reason to believe there

should be?...

Well...As an expert in cybernetics...He'd noted the robot was of a design that required

some kind of external guidance...control...

And if the boy's death was connected to the robot's appearance...

Remarkable...A brilliant man, Dr. Walthrop...

Umm-ummn...BR agreed...Brilliant...

But sadly, nothing had been found except the boy's personal effects...And nothing like a

control device had been found among them...

Could she possibly look them over?...While she took one more look at the robot?...

Ah...To carry her impressions back to the doctor?...

Yes, of course...To carry her impressions back to the doctor, she smiled...

Certainly...No one had yet come to collect them...

"Doctor's taught you a bit about that, eh miss?..." the cop assigned to bring

BR the boy Eddie's personnel effects asked her... As she poked though the components

in the robot's open chest and checked through the pile the cop had brought...

Hmm-Hmmn...She nodded, smiling at him...

"I'd mind the electrics, miss...You ladies don't know how dangerous such things

can be..."

She smiled...She'd try not to break anything...Her husband had given her very detailed

instructions on how to proceed...

The cop smiled...Well, if the doctor had advised her...

Oh, yes...Thank goodness for his genius...She leaned on it for so much...

Couldn't blame the fellow too much if his female boss has so low an opinion of her fellow

women, BR thought...

The Adventure of the Freckled Man...Part V

BR continued her examination under the watchful eye of the returned Inspector Rigg...

Whose watchful eye she couldn't help noticing seemed to drift from the subject of the

examination to fix on her from time to time...

With more than a professional regard...

Apparently learning of her "disabled" condition had not killed all interest...

"Any luck, Mrs. Walthrop?..." the inspector asked...For the third time in ten

minutes...

Any interest in her did not seem to translate into confidence in her abilities, Buffy Rebecca

noted...

No doubt she wished the "great"" Dr". Walthrop were on hand...

To properly handle matters...BR thought...

Well...There was something...

She called the inspector over...And pointed it out to her...

"Ah...So the doctor was correct in his assumption..." Inspector Rigg noted

... "Brilliant man..."

Mrs. Walthrop was so fortunate...They were so fortunate...To have him on hand...

Her assistant cops nodded...Amazing fellow, that Dr. Walthrop...

"Please let us know what the doctor comes up with, Mrs. Walthrop..." the

inspector asked her as she prepared to head out...

Yeah...

A dumb California blonde like me is so lucky to have his guidance...

Much to Spike's relief, BR returned intact in under two hours...

No sign of a control device among Eddie's personal effects...But...

She had found a bit of support for Tim's story...The robot indeed had a microwave receiver...

Tim asked if Tim Jr. was in good shape...He was already likely to be in hot water with the

Winset people...But if he could get the cops to allow him to return the robot...Before

Monday...

Yes, she told him...Nothing that couldn't be fixed easily..

As the poor kid seemed to be telling them the truth there was no need to let him know

about the cops' handiwork just yet, she thought...

Maybe the distinguished Dr. Walthrop could square things with his company for him

later on...

"Could my husband and I have a moment, Tim?..." BR asked the boy...Who

was happy to wait in the hallway...

She told Spike quietly she felt Tim might be in danger...Someone had that control

unit and had killed for it...

"Should we bring him to the police?..." she asked hesitantly...

God...Those idiots?...He'd be dead by morning...If someone was after him...Best off letting

him stay hidden a little longer...

Ummn...Well, maybe that was...

Of course...It was fine with him...He could stay here...

"Here?...With us?..." she asked...

On our honeymoon?...she did not say...

He understood...He knew she'd be concerned about the poor fellow...Anxious to use him to

unravel this thing...And he had no objection...

Oh...No objection...

No, it was fine with him...He rather enjoyed talking to young Tim...A likely lad, despite any

...minor strangenesses...really...Reminded him of young William IV, the Walthrop heir and

his namesake whom he and BR had recently met...Might make a fine addition to W/S if old

Warren agreed later on...

Oh...

He was happy to do it for her, knowing it was what she'd want...

Really...Well...

Greeat...

Ok...ok...Three days...she thought...In three days we leave for Germany and this will be

just a little forgotten inconvenience...

And he really believes he's pleasing me...Being unselfish...It's really quite an admirable...

&#%&!...This is the guy who ordered a sex robot to have me?...

She smiled frozenly at Walthrop and Tim...Now discussing her biotank...A little project to

keep them busy, if Tim felt up to it...You see, lad, Mrs. Summers-Walthrop, in spite of her

apparent perfect health...

Tim's eyes widened...Bionetic limbs?...Sure, no wonder the miss was so...And gave the

gallant lady a deeply sympathetic gaze...Such a courageous...

Somewhere in there, I know...Spike is laughing his head off at me right now...BR thought...

Fortunately Tim was sensitive to matters of romance and after BR checked the basement

area, was happy to leave the Walthrops to themselves and begin assembly of the biotank

following the eminent "cybergenius"' detailed instructions...Courtesy of his

eminent partner Warren's notes.

Tim was a bit puzzled about the size of the tank...Rather larger than one might have thought

one would need to soak a limb or two...

But if one of the "kings of cybernetics" says it should be so...

She locked the door...Angus had promised to keep an eye on young Tim, a young local friend

doing a bit of work for them while the doctor was incapacitated, she had explained...

"You feeling better, honey?..." she asked Walthrop...Slipping him a blood packet

Actually he felt much better...Lucky that spear had only grazed his side...After all...

He wanted his Gift to be delivered with love when the time came...

As requested Tim checked in on them about two hours later...

He knocked discreetly...A rather pleased-looking Mrs. Walthrop coming to the door...

In a nightgown...And looking...Tim couldn't help noticing...rather...well...Pleased...

Although...oddly...she seemed to have been crying a bit as well...

Well...young bride on her honeymoon...And such a terrible thing to have had happen to the

great doctor...

He'd nearly finished the tank unit, he told her...Mr. McGregor had set him up very nicely in

a small room near them...

She nodded...Yes the doctor was quite well...Much improved...And appreciated his efforts

with the tank...If he was up to it, perhaps they could all discuss the next move at breakfast

next morning...

William was quite impressed with him, she told the young disciple with a twinkle...

Don't stay up too late working on that thing, Tim..she told him as he happily left her...

The good doctor was still a bit sheepish...Stupid thing to say, that...About the Gift...Poor girl, she

thinks of that constantly...

But after all...They'd settled it between them long ago...Without words...And they knew...

Better than almost anyone that it would not mean the end...

Still she'd cried to hear him say it...Though it was true...When the time came and Spike

could no longer be contained in his prison...She'd help them...Both...With love...

Just as love had finally saved poor Drusilla...

And there was really nothing to be sorrowful for in that...

But he had some concerns about the immediate business...Something about young Tim

and his appearance on the scene...Bothered him...In view of events...

For her part, she'd felt a little silly crying about it...And was grateful for his being well

enough to comfort her...

Even if that'd been the worst possible thing he could have said to her just then, Spike

..A little thought once in while, please...

And she'd laughed at his remark that after 10 or 20 thousand years she might well slip

him the Gift out of sheer boredom with him...

But she didn't think even 20,000 years would be enough...To make it easy...

Still, odds were they'd have many times a normal lifespan together...And later, all eternity...

Even if a brief separation became necessary...

And if of course they managed to get along ok...She, now recovering, pointing out to him

in her turn that she could as Warren had told her, pick up that biotank and walk out the

door...Anytime...

Or, through the nearest wall...He teased her...

No problem..she agreed...

But for now, if he was really feeling better...They could discuss the events of the day...

Later...

So that she was feeling somewhat...pleased...when Tim stopped by...

Tim noted at breakfast that the castle had lived up to its reputation as a place haunted

by many spirits of the dead...

Their moans had woken him up several times...Eerie things...Had the doctor and missus

heard it?...

Afraid not, lad... "Dr." Walthrop noted...

Hmmn...BR thought...I would have thought stone walls would have been enough sound-

proofing...

But then, three times the sex drive of a normal Slayer...

With the tank now functional, BR reluctantly agreed that it was best if Walthrop took over

the investigation for the day...After all, daytime was a hair less dangerous time and she

was reaching the point of seriously needing at least a brief regenerative cycle...

He'd keep it simple...Stage a little "examining the robot" performance...Pump

the inspector and her idiots a bit...Look around town...Back in four hours...

As for Tim...Walthrop looked carefully at his wife...Best if he stayed around for the

moment...But if he could give Walthrop a brief list of Eddie's daytime activities...If that lo

...BR glared...poor fellow had any daytime activities...In the evening together they could

check his nighttime haunts...

Well, old Ed had only been working part-time just then, Tim noted...He had been hoping

to get his friend into Winset eventually...He was afraid old Ed hadn't been...well...focused

...But a grand and dear pal all the same...

BR nodded sympathetically...

Spent a lot of time at the local pub...

Shock there...Spike thought...

And ran errands for a couple of the locals in town...All over town most of the day he was...

Regular Leo Bloom...Spike noted...

"Well, give me the pub's location and the names and addresses of Ed's employers

...Oh, and his home digs?..." Walthrop asked the boy...

Well...sir...Ed and I...We...Shared our digs...We...Ummn...

He was getting a little misty...

Oh...

Oh...thought BR sympathetically...I thought so...She reached out and patted Tim's hand...

"You poor thing..." she told him...Looking over at Walthrop...Questioningly...

He nodded...

They checked out the tank...Walthrop might have great confidence in his new protege but...

All was well...

"She gets in the tank?..." Tim asked, startled...He thought she'd just...Well

...Remove 'em...

"Works out easier this way Tim...Less embarrassment for her, you understand

...And the tank's biogel is actually a damn good skin treatment all over..."

He...Walthrop...Had actually tried it once himself...Very pleasant once you got used to it...

"Well...I'd better be going..." he smiled at her...

"William?..." she looked at him...She liked this idea less every second...

He took her hand...And gently stroked and kissed it...

"After all, dear..." he thought and smiled... "You know, there is special

providence in the fall of a sparrow...If it's to be now, tis not yet to come, if it be not now,

it will come...The readiness is all..."

He looked at her...Grinning...

"William...That was beautiful..." she beamed...And frowned... "Tis it

better not be now..."

He nodded...He'd be careful...

He went to grab his coat...

"But...that's from..." Tim started...

Shut up, Tim, she hissed to him as Walthrop came back to them...

He kissed her and left...

Naturally she followed...With Tim in tow...five minutes later...

To make assurance...Just that he reached town safely...Double sure...

The Adventure of the Freckled Man...Part VI

BR, with young Tim in tow, surreptiously followed her distinguished "cybergenius

" until he reached the police station...Safely...

No sign of anyone following him...And she needed a few hours in that damned tank...

Else she'd soon be having major skin problems...Progressing rapidly from a few sores

to full-blown "night of the living dead" rot...

Besides, she felt a little nervous, not to mention guilty, about exposing Tim...Assuming

he was not involved...But he was after all much safer with her...And if someone did make an

attempt...They might finally have some clue as to who or what...

"Ah, Doctor Walthrop..." Inspector Rigg greeted Spike...With, for her,

considerable warmth...

She was pleased to see he had recovered almost fully so quickly...And appreciated his

desire to be of service in their little matter...

"Mrs. Walthrop stayed at home?..."

Rather exhausted, after last night, poor lamb...You understand...Even with bionetic limbs...

Of course...

A bright young lass, his wife...Notwithstanding her gallant courage...Had her examination

been of use to him?...

Indeed...

He'd just wanted to check in...See if there were any new developments...Perhaps worth

a final look at the robot in case the Missus had left a few things...

The inspector had a bit of gleam...Something to tell him, he realized...

Indeed she did...They'd identified where the robot had come from...

A check on the motor unit he'd found in the robot, the one of German manufacture...

Only one place in the area ordered equipment from that company...

The Winset company?...He asked...

Oh...The inspector's face fell a bit...Yes...How did he?...

Ah, well...One must keep up with the competition...Doing some interesting work in their

research section, the Winset people...

Amazing man...One of the other cops noted to his partners...Always on top of things...

"Have they reported a missing robot?" Spike asked the inspector...

Not as yet...However it was the weekend...No senior staff was available, although she

called and the staff on duty was checking...No doubt their senior people would have

more to say on Monday...

Did he possibly suspect that someone at Winset had been involved in the attack on

him?...In the murder of the young man?...

Well...Difficult to say...Hardly likely the company would take such extreme measures to

eliminate competitors...If they even knew of his presence in the area...Still...A strange

coincidence...

"Anything new on the poor boy?..." he asked...

Sadly, no...No family in the area...No close friends known...

Hmmn...By the way, was she or any of her people acquainted with a Mr. Fields, Timothy

Fields, a young scientist at Winset?...

They were not...The Winset staff kept rather to themselves...Only a handful lived in town

or the surroundings...Was it important?...

No, just that the fellow was rather up-and-coming in the field...Might be able to help them in

gathering information...

Ah...The inspector eyed her men who noted the name...

Spike noted that the robot was not alone in its cell...Two young men were carefully

disassembling it...

Yes...The inspector informed him...A couple of the weekend staff from Winset had kindly

come down to assist in the identification after her call...

"You wished to examine the robot further, Dr. Walthrop?...I'm sure the Winset

people would appreciate your assistance..."

Ah...Yes...Well...Not at present...He had just wanted to check in really...

No doubt the Missus' exam had been quite detailed enough, he'd just...

One of the young engineers came out to them...

"This is the distinguished Dr. Walthrop..." Inspector Rigg introduced Spike...

The engineer was properly impressed...Reputations travel fast in the modern world of

cybernetic "kings"...

The junior "king" of cybernetics assumed his best "cybergenius

" pose and hoped for a chance for a quick getaway...

Ah...Well...Just passing through...Hoped to be of service...Must be going...Now...

But given the lad's respectful air... it certainly couldn't hurt just to ask...

"Anything interesting in your efforts, lad?..."

The young engineer rattled off a stream of details...Which Spike listened to with a

profound air...

Fortunately, the inspector had remained...The eminent "cybergenius"

therefore kindly suggested the young man put it in layman's terms...

"Well, it is definitely a prototype of our lab...Apparently stolen...Though when or

by whom is difficult to say without the research area's supervisor on hand..." the

engineer noted...

Hmmn...Spike looked profoundly at them...

"But why would the young man have been involved?..." the inspector asked...

"Probably something to do with the control device..." Spike noted...

The young engineer was impressed...Dr. Walthrop had already clearly devined that the

robot was externally guided...Would he care to examine the primary...?

"No, no..." Spike interrupted... "I must be off...Looking around town a

bit before I return to the missus...I'm sure you lads have things very well in

hand..." He smiled and shook the young fellow's hand...

The young engineer beamed...If one of the "kings" of cybernetics smiles on you...

Fine and capable fellows he noted to the inspector...

The inspector watched him leave and sent two of her men to follow him...

Much as she appreciated the doctor's genius and assistance, she was a bit leery of the

Walthrops' detecting games and suspected he was out to do some checking around town...

And perhaps was holding something back...

BR had asked Tim to stay by the tank, which he was happy to do after she supplied him with

several of the leading cybernetics journals to read, courtesy of Amelia Walthrop-Hunt's gift

computer...

He'd whang the tank at the slightest sign of trouble, he promised...

The green light went on as she closed the lid...

Spooky, Tim noted...Rather like one of those coffins in vampire flicks...

She seems to take it in stride though...

Walthrop had stopped by Eddie's favorite pub...

Despite the relatively early hour the louts were in full force he noted...

"Ah...The young doctor..." one Spike recognized from the other night greeted

him...

"Terrible things going on, eh, sir?...Any luck with that machine, sir?..." the

fellow, a largish type, asked...

Afraid not as yet...

Hmmn...Machine...?

News travels fast by word of lout...Spike thought...

Had anyone known the poor lad?...he asked them...

All of them knew poor Eddie, several told him...Grand little lad, that...

Always ready to stand a friend a pint when he had scratch...several noted looking at

Walthrop...Intently...

Catching the hint, Spike stood them all several pints...

Had anyone known Eddie's friend...A young Mr. Fields?...he asked...

Was that the young fellow from Winset company who looked like the machine?...Largish lout

asked...

A regular couple those two...Inseparable...He told Spike...A few others nodded...

"Might have been a bit of a lovers' quarrel there, eh, doctor?..."

One never knows...Spike told him...

Interesting that they hadn't felt it worthwhile to mention Mr. Fields to the police...he thought...

Could be lout solidarity of course...

Armed with the key Tim had given him, Spike next planned to check the apartment the two

had shared...If the inspector had not placed a guard...And if the building owner was

available...

Despite his redemption and his daylight ring, Spike still had his little limitations...

Fortunately there was only a notice that the apartment had been sealed by police...

Not a thing to hold off William the Bloody...Though of course "Dr." Walthrop

had to take some care...

Respectible scientist and businessman here...

He found the landlady, and with an explanation that he was an old family friend, and a

sizable bribe, overcame her slight reluctance to go with him to the apartment...

"After you..." he waved her in politely...

Well...She'd feel better if the police had spoken to her...

He simply wanted to see if old Ed had left anything the family would want...That he should

request back from the police...

She paused on the doorway...

If she'd be pleased to invite him in, he'd have a look round quickly and be gone...

The old charm, Spikey...he thought...A little persuasive charm...Think Angelis...Just before

he'd rip an unsuspecting victim's throat out...

Charm...And another 20 pounds...

"Well, come in then, doctor..." she invited...She in fact was rather charmed by

the young "cybergenius"...

Though she couldn't help thinking the doctor was a bit on the short side for her...

Many thanks...He smiled and came in...

Hmmn...Not much...About what one would expect...Except...

There seemed to be a good deal of books on robotics and cybernetics...

But no personal evidence of Mr. Fields...

Well...Perhaps he'd had a chance to grab his personnals...

He turned to the landlady...Had a Mr. Fields stayed with young Edward?...

"Mr. Fields?..." she'd never heard the name...So far as she knew young Ed lived

alone...However...

Young Ed did have a friend, a freckled-faced young man who occasionally dropped by...

Tim...She thought the name was...

He dropped by one of the stores that Tim had given him as a place Ed had run errands for...

The owner was happy to tell him, being a family friend as he was, about young Ed...Fine lad,

bright future...Especially since he had started work at Winset...

He worked at Winset?...Spike asked...

Yes, indeed sir...Had started there a month or so ago...Bright fellow that Ed...

That slack-jawed lout?...Spike did not say...

Hmmn...Perhaps it was time to check on the Missus and their houseguest...

He had a few questions for his young protege...

The two officers following him reported his movements back to the inspector...The eminent

scientist appeared headed back to his inn...

She ordered them to continue to shadow him at a distance...

The good doctor appeared to enjoy playing detective...Well...If he wished to attract

attention to himself there was no reason she should not take advantage of it...As well as

keeping him safe for that poor, brave little sweetie of his...

.As he came into the basement room and waved at Tim...

Tim was contently pouring through the journals BR had provided courtesy the computer's

built-in printer...

Buffy Rebecca was snoring in her glop tank...Apparently all well, Spike noted...

He whanged the tank to get her attention...

Her scream would have waked the dead...And he should know...

Angus and his wife came down the stairs...Prepared for anything judging by the size of the

sticks they were hefting...

Just a little martial arts practice...Heard Mrs. Walthrop scream and thought they'd better

check...

By the way...Was that a coffin she was sitting in?...

A bioregenerative incubation unit...Tim informed them...Good for the skin, you know...

Quick thinking there lad, Spike thought...The Missus would appreciate not having everyone

know about her "tragic condition"...

Ah...Well...Mrs. McGregor remembered reading about those in Vogue...

Lifestyles of the rich and Californian, she thought...

[Suggested theme-Scotland the Brave March]

"Nice kilts, Mr. McGregor..." Spike told Angus...

"Much easier for the practice, doctor..." Angus told him... "Allows

maximum freedom of movement..."

Ah, a happy merging of two cultures...Spike thought...

BR was still shaky after her abrupt awakening...She'd been dreaming of being a vampire

in her coffin...Not an unusual dream for the biotank...But after using real beds for nearly

two weeks...

She managed a smile and assured the McGregors that all was well...It was just a little

unnerving to wake up in a sealed box...

Lifestyles of the robotic and vampiral...

After BR had had a chance to express her slight annoyance...

Spike informed them of the general outline of his excursion through town...

He preferred to hold back some details for relation to his wife in private...

But he felt it was probably good for them to plan on spending the evening checking out

the local haunts...With Tim in tow for safe-keeping...

Tim was happy to accompany his hero and the gallant missus...

There was one place everyone frequented...A favorite of old Ed's...

Rather back in form...Spike thought...He was out of tweeds for one evening and back to

his more active fashion style...Though he wore the new jacket BR had bought for him...

The old Slayer's coat was in Giles' hands for shipment to the Council...Who kept a small

memorial museum of past Slayers' items where any had survived...

Just wasn't quite in keeping with his new lifestyle, Spike had decided...Rather to first his

sister-in-law's and later his resurrected wife's relief...

As for Buffy Rebecca...As always...She looked...

With the benefit of four hours regeneration...

And especially in that black top...

They were truly dressed to kill...Spike noted...If absolutely required by circumstances...

"Heart of Glass" by Blondie was blaring through the speakers as they entered...

Tim following under their watchful care...Spike had informed BR of what he'd learned

although they'd agreed it didn't necessarily follow that he was lying to them...

He had said he was trying to get old Ed in at the company...And he and Ed might have

wished to keep their relationship under wraps in a little staid town like this...Even if...

They'd question him more closely later...

Hmmn...BR thought...Noting the attention she was getting from the women...And her

"cybergenius" from the men...This place looks like a ...

Well, it had been Ed's and Tim's favorite hangout...

The staid little town had a wilder side apparently...

"Mrs. Walthrop?...Helloo..." Inspector Rigg called out to her...

Definitely off-duty in that outfit...

She waved her over...

"Nice to see you my dear...Is the doctor about?..."

BR pointed him out to her...Spike was strolling slowly about the floor...Tim keeping near...

She seemed a hair disappointed...Then turning to a slight, frail-looking late forties-ish

man on the stool next to her introduced Mrs. Walthrop to...

Her husband...Lluwelyan...

"Mrs. Walthrop..." he took her hand, smiling... "So nice to meet you

...Anna has told me so much about you..."

Husband?...BR was a bit startled...Still, England...An army of films and books about

marriages just like this...

He seemed very sweet, though probably in poor health...

Very much the John Hurt type she noted...

"Are you doing a little sleuthing again, Ms. Walthrop?..." the inspector

asked, smiling at her..."Seems a pity for you to be wasting your honeymoon on

such things..."

She smiled noncommitally...

They watched her as she headed after Spike...

"Lovely girl..." Lluwelyan noted...Looking at his wife who nodded...

"Not quite your type, my dear, I'm afraid..." he smiled sympathetically at her...

She smiled back and patted his hand...

"We should try the Winset company..." BR noted to Spike...

Tim remaining beside them as they sat at a table...

Try?...As in go in?...At night?...As in breaking and entering?...

"We need to know what's going on there...How the dead boy was involved..."

Hmmn...You know...Inspector Rigg seems quite competent...Perhaps, for once, they should

consider allowing the nonsuper-humans their chance to take a crack at things...

"Someone around here knows what you are, honey...I'm not going to take chances

...We need to know who's behind this..."

Tim agreed...This was the best time to get a look at things in the lab...Though why anyone

there would wish to harm Dr. Walthrop or old Ed...

Hmmn...Walthrop thought...Could just be they ran out of lead bullets...He noted to her...Guns

and ammo were not after all as readily available here as in good old Sunnydale...

The Riggs were coming over...Rather an odd couple, she towering more than a foot over

the frail little Lluweyan...BR noted...

Still...certainly no odder than a human-souled robot and a redeemed human-vampire...

"Deep in discussion of the mystery, Ms. Walthrop?..." Lluweyan asked her

with a faint smile...

"Anna and I were thinking that you might care to tour the Winset facility with us...

"

Oh...Well...If you're going over tomorrow...

"We were thinking perhaps right now..." the inspector smiled at her...

"As long as you were going yourselves..." Lluweyan added...

BR and Spike looked at each other...

The Adventure of the Freckled Man...Part VII

While BR and Spike recovered from their surprise...It became Inspector Riggs' turn to be

surprised...

At the sight of young Tim...

However she recovered quite well, noted BR...Extending her hand...

"Mr...Fields?...I presume?..." she smiled at him and looked carefully at the

Walthrops...

"I believe we have something of yours..."

Lluwelyan seemed quite amused at the sudden turn of events...

Anna may have anticipated the Walthrops' desire to explore the Winset facility...

But they continued to have their little surprises...

Walthrop explained Tim's coming to them but advanced the date to the present evening...

They were of course planning to bring young Mr. Fields by in the morning...

"Of course..." Inspector Rigg noted sardonically...

Tim was rather too downcast by the news of Tim Jr's disassembled condition...Not to

mention the entry of Winset staff into the affair...To contradict "Dr." Walthrop...

They were not likely to be pleased with him come Monday...

"How did you know we were thinking of stopping by Winset?..." BR helpfully

changed the subject...

"Elementary..." Inspector Rigg smiled at her...

It was of course the logical next step, she noted...And her own desire...

To learn what was so important about the robot and its control unit that someone would

kill for it...

Perhaps, if the Walthrops would allow for a little professional help...They might pool their

skills...

Well...Spike reflected...So long as our interest in wooden bullets goes unmentioned...I

suppose it would be nice to have the police on our team...For once, a nice search

warrant, everything legit...

"We'd better wait one more hour..." the inspector noted... "The weekend

staff knocks off at eleven I understand..."

Hmmn...Spike thought...Wait for the staff to leave?...He eyed BR...

"Ummn...You do have a search warrant?..." BR asked her...

"Such a waste of time, my dear..." the inspector chuckled at her, head

shaking...Americans and their telly shows...

"Besides my dear Llu is magistrate hereabouts...He can clear things...If we

should happen to be apprehended..."

Dear Llu grinned...

Interesting couple thought Spike...

Certainly an improvement over Inspector Lestrade...

Lluwelyan agreed to keep the guard occupied...While the others slipped down the

special freight elevator Tim had used to bring up Tim Jr...

Fortunately Tim still had his key to the mechanism...

While the charming Mr. Rigg engaged the night guard at the gate in conversation

...BR, Walthrop, Inspector Rigg, and young Tim reached the concealed entrance to

the research sector elevator...

BR with a little help from Walthrop hoisted the heavy elevator cover quite deftly...

Bionetic limbs on the Mrs. Walthrop, Tim noted to the inspector...

Remarkable, she agreed...Just like that American TV show about the cyborg dog...

They descended...Lluwelyan continuing to point out some fascinating facts about the

night sky to the guard who though conscientiously scanning the main road was all too

anxious for a little company...

[Suggested theme-Unauthorized Access (A Shot in the Dark)]

The lab area was shrouded in darkness...Not a good thing for four people to be

stumbling around in, Spike realized as he crashed into a heavy table...

Tim groped to a light switch...

Lab equipment, some exam tables...The head of a freckled-face man on one...

BR yelped...

The inspector frowned at her...Obviously it was part of the robot which the Winset types had

taken back earlier that evening...

Buffy Rebecca nodded sheepishly...

Spike and Tim were examining the workbenches...No notes around, except for a brief

report by one of the engineers on the Tim robot they'd brought back...

Unsalvageable...It noted...To be scrapped for spare parts...

Tim sighed...They were really not going to be happy with him on Monday...Really not...

BR and Inspector Rigg exited the lab door to a larger room area...

Tim noting they had left them, warned Spike that they must not leave the section...

Alarmed past the larger lab...

He sent Tim after them...While he continued his examination of the workroom...

Fortunately they'd only begun to search the larger room...And the main exit door was clearly

marked as alarmed...

However they had a question for him...Had he ever seen that large box near the oxygen

tanks before?...

Probably a shipment of equipment he noted...Strange container though, all metal...

BR had found a laboratory log...And showed it to the inspector...

Who was regarding the large box...

"It is anything useful, miss?..." Tim asked hopefully...

"Is this the standard lab notebook, Tim?..." BR looked at him...Questioningly...

Yes, miss he told her...All daily results are noted in ones like that...Generally locked up at

the end of shift...

Some folks leave in a hurry, he guessed...

"You know, Mrs. Walthrop?...I don't believe this box contains equipment...

" the inspector noted to them... "Something inside it seems to be working right

now..."

BR put her ear to the metal box...Definite humming sound...

No way to open it...Hmmn...Right next to highly flammable and explosive tanks of

oxygen and gas...

"You don't suppose?..." she asked the inspector...

"I think, perhaps, we should consider leaving..." Inspector Rigg told her...

Tim was curious...Was there something wrong?...

No need to be nervous, Tim...BR told him, patting him on the shoulder...Lets just go

back to the doctor...And back up above ground...

Before this thing goes off...she did not say...

They collected "Dr." Walthrop and BR quietly explained why a return to the

surface might be a wise precaution...

Besides they had some useful information in the log book...Probably all they could get

without going into the other areas...Triggering the alarmed doors...

They took the elevator back up...Tim noted the others seemed a bit...Nervous...

Had she found anything useful in that log book?...he asked Buffy Rebecca...

"Possibly, Tim..." she smiled at him, and looked nervously at Spike...

"How long is this thing going to take to reach the surface?..."

It'll be fine, dear...

She's a little nervous about our getting caught...He told Tim smiling...As he took her

hand and nervously crushed it in his...Putting his arm around her...She felt it trembling...

God, not now...Not so soon...In the middle of their honeymoon...

She put her head on his shoulder...

Affectionate couple...Tim noted pleasantly to the inspector...Who smiled at them and

nodded...They reached the surface...BR grabbed Tim and they all broke into a run for

the guard's booth...

Where Lluwelyan and the guard were engaged in thoughtful musing on the nature of the

universe...

"Just a minute..." the guard called to the group running from the plant area

as they passed his booth, the inspector grabbing her little husband and calling to the

guard to follow them...

"See here now...Where's the ..."

A tremendous explosion from behind answered his question...

The blast rocked the area to its foundations...

The whole factory had gone up...But BR had no doubt where the epicenter of the

explosion had been...

The underground research center lab and offices...

Spike was rather relieved that they had not continued deeper into the underground

research center as they'd planned...Another ten minutes delay and they'd have been

part of the landscape...

Tim was perhaps a hair relieved as he recovered from the shock...

Surely his little escapade with Tim Jr would vanish into insignificance by comparison...

Spike was none the worst for wear...BR thankfully noted...

Lluwelyan had been nicked in the legs by a little shrapnel blown from the plant...But

was more shaken up by his wife's frantic manhandling...As she carried him off to safety...

Whatever little sexual problems their relationship might have they were truly a loving

couple BR noted...

Equally evidenced by the inspector's grim determination to return immediately to the

blast area and find out whatever she could once Lluwelyan and the shaken Tim were

settled...

BR had persuaded her not to take any immediate action regarding Tim...After all

someone else must be involved in the explosion...However much her suspicions

might be focusing on him...

She agreed...Once secured in hospital, Tim was safe and could be dealt with later...

But she wanted to know who had tried to kill them...Whether with intent or no...

"I don't take well to personal attacks on mine...Like you, Mrs Walthrop...

" she noted...As they waited for the cars coming up from town...

She's got the same expression you wore the night you found me at Xortox...Buffy

Rebecca told Spike quietly, smiling at him...

"I thought you were out of it then?..." he asked her... "You remember

that night?..."

"I was out of it...But I remember every minute..." she patted his hand...

Might have given us a little more help at the time then, dear...Spike did not say...

Still...old Sis might have been lost if your soul weren't around...I guess it did work out

for the best...

The Adventure of the Freckled Man ...Part VIII

Several of Inspector Rigg's men arrived with the cars from town...

None seemed very surprised to find her there...BR noted...

Guess they're used to the boss getting into the thick of things, she observed to Spike...

The inspector arranged for her husband and young Tim to be taken to the town infirmary...

And gave special instructions to two of her men regarding the care of Mr. Fields...

He felt fine, Tim told BR...Couldn't he stay with them?...She pointed out to him that

he'd been rather bounced around by the blast and should take it easy...

Further the inspector was obviously anxious to keep him safe...He'd do best to follow her

men's instructions...She and the doctor would be by shortly...

In the meantime, anything he could think of...That he'd seen at the plant either tonight or

previously...To throw light on why someone had just blown the place sky high...Would

be very useful...

"I'll do my best, miss..." he told her...

Inspector Rigg watched carefully as he and her husband were taken back...Along with one

very shaken and incoherent guard...

Fortunately no one would be bringing up the Riggs' and Walthrops' little sojourn to the

factory until morning at least...

"Are you two up for one more look round?..." she asked Spike and Buffy

Rebecca with a smile...

Weell...Actually...But since I know I can't stop her...him...from going they each thought...

Above ground the damage was not that bad...Fortunately a good deal of bedrock and

earth had contained the explosion to some extent...

Which explained their survival...

Underground, however...Ruins...Burning rather well wherever some air reached the flames...

Not a chance of getting back down before the fires were put out...

And given the fire equipment on hand...Plus the long delay equipment from the nearest city

would have...

BR considered...She didn't need to breathe per se...However she could catch fire, suffer heat

damage...Melt...And burning most of her skin off as a side effect was not an experience she

relished, having done it once before...

Besides she was afraid of fire...Childhood memories of a fire at home...

Spike was relieved to learn she had decided to hold off on another underground expedition...

Fire bad...Summed up his opinions on the subject...Very bad...

Vampiral memories of a fire that nearly killed him and Drusilla in Prague...

They were down to two days...

Well, less than that actually...They were bound for Germany the next afternoon...

The inspector had agreed reluctantly after a bit more of a search above ground that nothing

more could be done at the Winset plant for the moment...They'd agreed to check in with her

the next morning...

There seemed to be an unspoken agreement as to saying nothing to other authorities about

their presence at the plant just before the explosion...

But what more could they do?...Spike asked BR...Who hated the thought of closing the book

prematurely...Leaving Tim with the inspector and calling it quits...

And was still certain that her William was in danger...From someone who knew what he or

she...Or it...Was dealing with...

Wait...She called up the log book in her supplemental memory where she had carefully

stored every page she'd had time to look over before surrendering it to the inspector...

She looked at Spike...What was his name?...she asked...

Ummn...Darling?...He wondered if Buffy Anne back home might have Warren's fiancee's phone

number available...

He was sensitive regarding and constantly worrying about Buffy Rebecca's memory...Having

witnessed it crumble apart once...

"His name, Spike?...You know...Count Likes-Limbless Women?...At your little demo

session...Ididn't store it in my sm..."

Oh...Him...Vitachi...Count Salome...er Salcome Vitachi...The Missus' respectful admirer...

"There was a Dr. S. V. referred to in the log...He came by to check on status of their

latest project the day before we had our meeting in Glasgow..." she grinned

triumphantly at him...

Count Vitachi...Gracious and charming...A fellow cybernetics expert...

Who had kept them at the demo site a good extra hour and an half...Being graciously

charming to the Missus...

Plenty of time for an operative to get into position in town and wait for the eminent

"cybergenius'" return...

BR contacted Buffy by computer and satellite link...She having arranged to keep Giles'

system with her a few days to allow video...The sisters being anxious to see each other

...And Buffy being anxious to see that her brother-in-law was indeed recovering well...

She was relieved to hear and see that the good doctor had fully recovered and laconically

told BR that Warren had returned...Rather more quickly than expected...

Pity, wasn't it?...Guess Katrina had decided things just wouldn't work out...

A pity...BR sighed, grinning at Spike...Dear 'dad' must be in grave need of comfort...

I wouldn't say that, Buffy told her...As a matter of fact...He was right here...

Why, sis...She looked at "Dr." Walthrop who gave a thumbs-up...

Talking with an old friend...Buffy told her...

Oh?...Was Angel getting to complete his visit at last?...

No...A Mr. Riley Finn...Who'd just come up from a fascinating time in Belize...

And who was rather floored by the incredible stories of the past two months...

Not that his tales weren't of interest, of course...

And speaking of Angel...He was coming up tomorrow for the weekend...

Why, sis...BR grinned at Spike wickedly...Welcome to Shangri-La...

Not wanting to interrupt Buf's idyll...And definitely wanting to hear more...But could she

speak to 'Dad' for a bit?...A request and some technical questions...

Warren greeted them warmly...

Though from his slight disconcert he was vaguely uneasy about something...

Someone, BR hoped...

As a loving daughter she naturally pulled for dear old "dad"...And was a bit

miffed yet at Riley...Who had certainly taken his time...

She clucked sympathetically to Warren regarding Katrina...

For the best, she hoped...Though she understood how he felt...

But...Consequences of the sexbot business, she teased him...Spike looked at her...

Bit rough, dear?...Good old Warren...Wasn't really his fault...Well...I mean, post-April

anyway...

'Dad' can take it...Ummn right, 'dad'?...She assured Warren she really was just kidding...

No problem...Deserved, he admitted...

Not all women were as tolerant and understanding of such things as she and her sis...

BR went on...

Hmmn...Tolerance...Understanding...Like the time Buffy nearly tolerated me to death

...Warren noted...Smiling at the human Buffy in view of the camera who grinned

sheepishly...

Anyway, to business...

They knew it was a strain but could the meetings in Germany possibly be put off?

...Given the fact that the Scotland meeting had gone so well...

They needed to go directly to Italy...And spend a few days in Florence before attending

the conference of cybernetics manufacturers in Milan...

A visit to pay...Having to do with the other family business...

Considering the fact that their success had given the company enough work for the next

two years, Warren thought they could possibly put the Germany meetings back a week

or two...

"Dr." Walthrop had earned his title and then some...As had "Dr."

Summers-Walthrop...

Well...Just doing their bit...The junior "king" and "queen" of

cybernetics grinned at the camera...

But...BR moved on to her questions...

" 'Dad'...Do you know of a Dr...Salcome Vitachi?...A count no less...Italian,

middle-aged?..."

He did...A cybernetist of some reputation...He was on the board of the European Union

combine they signed with the other day...

"Any reason he might be working in England...Here as a matter of fact..."

In the modern Europe, with such a large integrated economy...And it was a Union combine...

Hmmn...How's about a company called Winset?...Any reputation among cybernetists?...

New in the field, some talk of major efforts to break into the field...Their place was near

where they were staying, actually...

"Was...Is the key word...The plant blew up last night..." BR told him...

Hmmn...A long sigh...Warren supposed they were in the middle of it...As always...

Elementary...

She asked a few questions about microwave transmitters and programming parameters...

How small could a microwave transmitter...Say capable of sending very basic commands

to a robot...Be?...

Ever see those little toy remote control cars kids play with?...Warren asked her...

Programming?...Well...She might remember he wasn't really all that good with computer

programming...Perhaps Willow...

Well, in the case of a robot...She'd...Well...Buffy, in April's case...seen Warren's two

programmed robots...April and Buffy-April in action, not to mention old Ted...

Quite a feat that Ted, Warren noted...Buffy had described it to him once, asking about BR's

artificial brain...Would have loved to see it in action...Able to act on its own...

Yeah, a triumph...Well...

Of course...Warren added nervously...She understood...She wasn't programmed...

Any way she'd learned beyond all doubt...She had a human soul...A human, if artificial,

brain...

Don't sweat it, 'dad'...she told him...This isn't about me...

"Dr." Walthrop was as relieved as his partner to hear that...The conversation

had been taking a distinctly uncomfortable turn...Raising strong guilt feelings...Though all

had worked out for the best...

Could an emotional response be programmed into a robot?...She asked...Say an angry

response...Or an affectionate one...That functioned without warning...Like a normal human

response...Fear to danger...Affection to kind treatment...Anger to abuse...

Well...Warren pondered...Depending on the complexity of the program...A response loop

was easy to create...But to give it a genuine touch, believability...Would take a lot of

computer capacity to allow for the proper nuances...

And a first-rate programmer?...

Definitely...If the response was to be convincing...If not, a twelve year old could program a

computer to make seemingly emotional responses to certain questions and situations...

Hmmn...

She let Spike speak to Warren and co for a bit then settled in for a long chat with her sis...

As to the merits of her three suitors...

The Adventure of the Freckled Man...Part IX

Things finally having settled down for the moment, Buffy Rebecca decides to grab some time

in the biotank...

However, it being a fairly large structure...She noted to Spike...There's no reason...The

honeymoon couldn't continue...

Besides...Warren'd told him once it would help with his hair...

The eminent "cybergenius" did not need to be invited twice...He'd fantasized

about joining BR in the tank since the first night she'd clambered out of it...

"What is it about my hair?..." he asked as he helped her in...And followed...

"Ow!...Watch it there, honey..." BR yelped...

"Sorry...Yeech!..." Spike felt the biogel goop... "You might have warned

me the glop was on the cool side now, dear..."

"It'll warm in a bit, honey...Especially...With two of us..." she grinned at him...

She pulled him by her side...Then looked up...

"Spike!...Close the lid!...I don't want to be on display, thank you..."

"Sorry, sorry..." He pulled the lid down on them...Fortunately Warren had

provided a light since the first days...

Surprisingly not all that hard to undress...But then she'd become quite adept at working

in the tank...

"You know...We don't have to tell Sis about this...She might find it a little..." And

being Buffy, Buffy Rebecca should know...

"Certainly dear..."...Hmmn?...

What was she telling Buffy about their honeymoon?...And married life?...He wondered...

A slightly tight fit but quite pleasant once one got used to the slimy goop biogel...

Yes, all in all quite...

Pleasant...

Mrs. McGregor interrupted the Walthrops' all too brief idyll...

Knocking discretely on the tank lid...She'd noticed they weren't in their room...Noted the

tank lights were blinking and assumed...They were doing what probably came naturally to

Californians...

The inspector was calling for them...It seemed there was a slight problem...

During the early morning hours after her men had left...Young Mr. Fields had decided to

leave the infirmary and head across the fields on foot...

Don't say it...Spike thought, looking at Buffy Rebecca...He's not...

Heading out onto the moors...Ms. McGregor finished...

It still being dark, the inspector was commencing a search...And hoped the Walthrops would

help...

Obviously the poor lad was frightened out of his wits...

"If you could just give us a second..." BR called to her through the tank lid

..."We'll be up in a few minutes..."

She couldn't help grinning at Spike...

Moors...So romantic...So...

Holmesian...

What a great honeymoon...

Now if only they could manage to get lost out there for a little while...Once they were sure

Tim was safely back in hand of course...

They had joined Inspector Rigg and her team...At the edge of the dank moors...Into which

poor frightened Tim had apparently disappeared...

"Why would he have run off, Ms. Walthrop?..." the inspector asked her...

"Do you think?..."

"I think all that's going on left him frightened...And he must have realized he was the

prime suspect right now...Not to mention very likely in the sights of whoever blew up the

plant...We shouldn't have left him...I should have guessed he'd react like this..."

"Poor fellow..." Spike reflected... "Must be terrified..."

BR patted him on the shoulder... "We'll find your disciple, William..."

The dogs just brought in were reacting rather strangely to the eminent

"cybergenius'" presence, BR noted...

She suggested that she and the good doctor head out in front...See if perhaps Tim would

listen to reason from them...

"It's rather dangerous out there, miss...'Specially if you don't know the

area..." One of the cops holding the dogs told her...

"Can't understand what's with the old girls..." he noted to his assistant as the

dogs jumped around in panic, barely responding to their commands...

Spike followed the Missus' advice and backed off a distance...The dogs calmed a bit...

Buffy Rebecca assured the inspector that she and "Dr." Walthrop would be

careful...After all, bionetic limbs on the Missus...

The inspector agreed to have her team follow at a respectable distance...

She's loving this...Spike noted...As they hiked deeper and deeper into the moors...

Full moon, dark forbidding moors, mysterious menace...So romantic...

He on the other hand was nervously looking...feeling rather, in this darkness...for quicksand

and bottomless pits of bog...Not to mention the occasional hell hound, werewolf, vampire

...And of course, unknown assassin...

Here he was, at four o'clock in the morning...Staggering through muck and briers...

Just when he and she were finally getting caught up on the truly important business of

their honeymoon...

When he caught up to that little freckle-faced idiot of theirs...

"Tim!...Timothy Fields!..." Buffy Rebecca hollered...Pressing on ahead of the

hubs...Though even she could only move so fast in this muck-riddled landscape...

An hour of searching through the romantic moors had begun to cure her of her enthusiasm

...Her clothes were ruined, her hair was a wreck, and the clouds obscuring the full moon

were clearly ready to start pouring down on them at any minute...

Still...Her main complaint was that she and the Mister couldn't have the place to themselves

...Inspector Rigg, her men, and the howling dogs were clearly not going to leave them

until Tim was found...

Hmmn...Say...She could barely hear the dogs now...She'd pulled pretty well ahead of

Spike...And realized suddenly that she was losing her way...

Pity Warren couldn't have included an onboard navigation system...At least a compass...

No, all he gave her was the old sm and freaking musical ability...If he had to give Buffy

Summers a robot body why couldn't...Wait...The good old supplemental memory...A

perfect recollection of the way back available on demand...

Except of course one way back looked just as good as another...

Whop...Down she went into a sinkhole...She clambered out...More lost than ever...

"Spike!..." She hollered, nervous now...Where was that idiot husband of

hers, anyway?...What ever happened to those super senses vampires were supposed

to have?...

It started to rain...

"Spike!..." Well it was, after all, not his fault...

"Timothy!..."

When she caught up to that little freckle-faced moron...

Some honeymoon...Well...All she could say was...There better damned well be a real

threat to William...

Sorry as she might be for poor murdered Edward...If this was all just some nonsensical

ruthlessness on the part of some idiot business competitor...

What was that howling in the distance that didn't sound like the dogs?...

Nope...Not the howl of an anxious vampire husband...

But nothing the Greatest Slayer of All Time couldn't handle...Surely not...

The next howl was closer...

"Spike!..." she hollered...Goddamn you Walthrop, where's your Victorian

chivalry?...Why did you let me run off like this?...

"Anybody?..."

Another howl...Yet closer...

She turned and began moving in what she sincerely hoped was the opposite direction

...Slipping and falling as she did so...

"Spike!..."

Lousy stinking rotten British countryside...Our next vacation is going to be a hotel room

in Los Angeles...

Walthrop gratefully accepted the proffered cups of coffee from the officers who had caught

up to him...And young Tim...

"Tim, lad...It was damned foolish of you to run off like that...What did you expect the

inspector here would think?..." Spike was addressing his sheepish protege...Who

had given himself up to him a few moments before...While slogging back towards the

town, having realized he admitted, it was rather a foolish thing to do...Clearing out like that...

Spike suggested the inspector have the upset dogs pulled back a bit...Rather too near

the object of their hunt...

Inspector Rigg instructed her men while continuing to frown at Tim...Not the night for

this sort of foolishness my boy...

"Sorry, miss...er Inspector..." Tim said, apologetically...While pulling the blanket

an officer had provided him around his shoulders...

"Well..." Spike sighed, looking at the inspector... "Alls well that ends well

..." He drank his coffee contentedly...

The Missus would be pleased to hear things had worked out so well when she returned...

The inspector nodded...Best to head back and settle things in the morning...If young

Timothy could be trusted to stay put...

He nodded...Just a touch of nerves...He'd follow her instructions from now on...

Indeed he would the inspector told him...However, to be fair...She hadn't ordered him to

stay in the infirmary...

Perhaps, if the doctor and Mrs. Walthrop wouldn't mind...He could go back to his room with

them for what remained of the night...

No doubt they were all likely to be sleeping in a bit today...

"By the way, Dr. Walthrop...Where is ?..."

Coming right along he assured her...She had probably just made a longer sweep before

turning back...

She was sure to be back with them before they'd finished their coffee and packed up...

Well...Was he sure?...It was dangerous out there...In this rain...

Nothing the Missus couldn't handle...After all it wasn't like the "Hound of the

Baskervilles " was lurking out there...

[Suggested theme-"It's not like the Hound of the Baskervilles is out there..." (Bad Moon Rising)]

The Adventure of the Freckled Man...Part X

Perhaps...Walthrop told the inspector after her men had packed up and another half-hour

had passed...Staring out at the rain-swept moors from the canopy the cops had erected

near the cars...

They should check after the Missus a bit...Just in case she'd gotten herself lost...

Mrs. Summers-Walthrop was indeed lost...However that was not her primary concern just

at this time...

The howling whatever-it-was...Closing in slowly on her...Wherever she was...That was

her primary concern...

Maybe...Maybe it's good old Oz...She thought irrationally...Maybe Willow asked him to

fly out to England and check up on us and...

Yeah...Right...

Besides...She had nothing to worry about...What could it do, at the very most?...Rip off

her skin and surface musculature...She'd had that done to her before...By Glory...A little

incredible agony and...

"Spike!..." she screamed...

Dammit Walthrop, you're always trying to play the hero...Where the hell are you?...

She tried to calm down and sought to sense what it was...If she could...

Spike, Tim, Inspector Rigg, and a few of her remaining men were now combing through the

moors once again...Spike getting increasingly nervous...

Tim was first to hear the faint howls...

"Dr. Walthrop, sir...Did you hear that?..."

Spike indeed had...And moved in that direction as quickly as he could...

It leaped out at her...Large, dark...but somehow...Familiar...

Oh my God...

She whacked poor Oz unconscious just as he reached her...

Unless of course she missed her guess...But she seriously doubted there were two

werewolves who looked so much alike...

Oz...What the hell was Oz doing here?...

She picked him up and carried him carefully in what she hoped was the right direction back

towards town...

After walking about a mile she began hearing the yells of Spike and the others...And

placed Oz in a small recess in some rocks...

Much as she hated leaving him out in the rain...She thought it was better that he not meet

the inspector and her men in his present state...

"Spike!..." she ran into his arms...

"Where the hell where you?..." she'd of whacked him one, but noted the

presence of the inspector...And the object of their search, young Tim...

"Tim...I am so annoyed with you..." she told him...

Tim nervously looked at the ground...

"Darling you look like hell..." Spike told her, graciously... "But what was

that we heard out here?..."

"Heard?..." she asked him, brightly as she could...Mud-caked, soaked, and

trembling with cold as she was...

Fortunately the inspector suggested they continue their questions after getting poor Mrs.

Walthrop somewhere warm and dry...

The inspector took the Walthrops and Tim back to their inn...Spike getting the Missus to

a hot bath as quickly as possible...

After this past night's activities...Buffy would very likely be on the way to a case of double

pneumonia...So Buffy Rebecca would...

After requesting Tim's presence next afternoon at the station, the inspector bade them a

very weary good night...

After Spike secured Tim for the night in his room...And secured his promise of good

behavior...BR told him from her tub about Oz...

Could he possibly be a lamb and bring the poor guy in?...Before he caught his death out

there...Or tore somebody to pieces...

"You're sure it's Oz?..." Spike asked her...

Well...They could try the computer/satellite link to check...But if whoever it was woke up

and started roaming again...

Spike agreed to fetch whoever it was in...After all, as a former condemned soul he naturally

sympathized with a comrade...And it was a terrible night to be out...

Besides...He couldn't very well refuse poor Buffy Rebecca after her rough night...

It was indeed Oz...Who kindly had remained unconscious until the moon went down and he

reverted...

He'd come to England to seek guidance from the Watchers' Council...Oz told BR...Well,

actually his band was touring there anyway...But he'd taken advantage of the opportunity...

Thinking that way he could not only strengthen his control but also keep abreast of events

back home with the gang...And Willow...

Learning at the Council about the new Buffy, Spike's redemption, and the battle with Dru

...He naturally called back home and asked if he could help in any way...So long as he

was available...

And as BR had somehow guessed...Willow had asked him...So long as he was heading

up to Scotland with his band...To check in on the honeymooners...Given the attempt that

had been made on the eminent "Dr." Walthrop...

He had caught the flu, Oz told her...Always causing some degree of loss of the control

he'd so carefully developed...

He tried to lock himself in that night but...Unfortunately...

Fortunately he'd managed to direct himself away from town and into the nearby moors...A

natural haunt for a werewolf anyway...

Luckily for him...And any potential victim...He'd met up with her...

He grinned...She really was everything Willow had said...A perfect copy of Buffy...

Miracle of modern science, she grinned back...And had he ever expected?...Spike and

her?...

Actually, he told them...That and news of Spike's redemption didn't throw him nearly so

much as hearing that Xander had been Spike's best man...And that Angel had...Quite

gladly...Attended their wedding...Now that had thrown him...

"I'm so glad you're here, Oz...And thank God you weren't hurt..." BR told him...

Sniffling a bit...

An anxious Walthrop went to get her tea...

Oz watched him, and grinned, leaning over to BR..."Ok...Who's that

and what have you done with our Spike?..."

She laughed, coughing a bit...

Buffy would be ill, so...She explained...

The Adventure of the Freckled Man...Part XI

Back when he was a deadly nemesis and killer vampire "Dr." Walthrop aka

Spike reflected...He never would have hesitated...To accept Buffy Rebecca's invitation

to continue their honeymooning in her biotank...Their latest guest, dear Oz, needing a

place to sleep after his...And their...Exhausting night...And young Tim's room being too

small...

However...Concerned and loving husband "Dr." Walthrop somehow couldn't

...She was, sweet lamb, developing such a terrible "cold" after her night on

the moors...And needed a decent sleep...And he doubted she'd get it with him in there

as well...

Disappointed...Frustrated...Annoyed..He couldn't resist happily noting...as she seemed

to be...

Still...In fairness to old Spike...Grumbling within...He had to admit that he'd have done the

same for poor Drusilla...

Besides when you added coughing and sneezing to BR's Buffy-inherited natural snoring...

For her part, though she actually was bitterly disappointed...Quite frustrated...Extremely

annoyed...By yet another honeymoon interruption...BR remembered Warren's warning that

her blood supply had no immune system...It could get infected...And any bug growing in her

synthetic blood might well be passed on to the hubs...Until her system had had a few hours

to break down the components and regenerate them...

Great...Him in bed...A vampire with the flu...Probably pneumonia...Or worse...For the duration

of their honeymoon...Maybe the two of them off to the hospital...No, thank you...

So...Reluctantly...Very reluctantly...She consented to Spike staying in their room...With their

latest guest...While she hit the glop...Well, at least with a hubs-provided hot cup of tea...

Stinking lousy rotten English/Scottish moors...Idiot &#%! freckled faced hero worshiping

moron...&%#!...She exclaimed to Walthrop through the tank...Much as she appreciated the

tea...

The ummn...Sweet angel of my desire...Thought "Dr." Walthrop...

Well, poor kid has had a rough time...Hate to see her losing her romantic enthusiasms...

I'll have to come up with something special...

Maybe that mysterious assassin could be persuaded to try another shot...She could save

me again and...

Well...maybe just some roses...

All she knew was...She continued through the tank lid...The Greatest Slayer of All Time had

better damned well get to properly...(Hack, cough)...Enjoy some of her honeymoon...Or

there'll be hell to be pay...Hell...To...Pay...Ka-choo!...

Warren and his drive for authenticity...

God bless...Good night, dear...Go to sleep...

Hey?...No hug?...No kiss?...Geesch...Whatever happened to waiting for me for all

eternity?...

Some honeymoon...

Spike pointed out that he was waiting...Patiently...Besides...

"You have to unlock the tank lid, dear..."

Oh...Right...

She unlocked the lid...

She didn't mean to suggest she was mad at him...It was just...Ka-choo!...A truly robotic

Slayer's sneeze...Oops...Sorry...Didn't mean to whang the lid at him...

God bless, dear heart...Give us a kiss...

Not that she wasn't glad to meet up with dear Oz...Sniffle...Make sure he's had a hot bath

and dried off...

Ok...Go to sleep...

And please tell Tim...She wasn't really mad...Just...You know...

You're going to make a wonderful mom, Rebecca...Spike told her...As he closed the lid

gently...

He could feel her beaming through the lid...

"William...That was the nicest thing to say..." she called happily...Sneezing

and hacking...

So sweet when he calls me Rebecca...Not that I want to give up my Buffy...

Just...sweet...Especially here in dear old England...er Scotland...er Britain... A fitting place

to be called Rebecca...she thought...

"Oh...William?...You'll come down if you have any more remorse-mares?..." she

called...

Psychologist-in-training Buffy Rebecca has a unique case study in progress...And a

healthy fear of suicidal remorse on the part of her husband...

"Spike will leave me be tonight I think...But any teeth-chattering and anguished

howls just outside the tank you hear will be me..." he told her...

"Good night, my Bride of Warrenstein..."

" 'Night, Throp...And you too, Spike...You demon from hell, you..."

Poor Will...Tough on him, too...She thought as she fell asleep...Well, we'll catch up in Italy...

Or else...

Due to the change in travel plans the Walthrops had one extra day in Great Britain...

And so were able to head over to the police station later that afternoon to see the inspector

...And her little husband who'd recovered from his minor injuries in the Winset blast...

With Oz...Who was intrigued by BR's tales of the Riggs...As well as the whole mystery...

But somehow...Buffy Rebecca sensed... More by her description of the apparently happy

and loving relationship the Riggs had managed to fashion for themselves...In spite of

some minor problems...

After all...If things didn't work out for Willow and Tara on a permanent basis...

In the office, Tim seemed to be actively searching for the book that he nervously expected

was to be thrown at him...

And was extremely glad that they'd come...He having followed the inspector's orders and

presented himself promptly at noon...

The inspector and her little husband were pleased to see that Buffy Rebecca looked well

after her little night excursion...Californian health regimens Inspector Rigg supposed...

"Dr." Walthrop inquired as to Lluwelyan's condition...Quite well, thank you...

The Walthrops with Oz...Old friend from America visiting in England who'd come to check on

them after hearing of the doctor's little incident, BR told the Riggs...had come to speak

about and for Tim...

BR pointed out to the inspector that even if Tim could possibly be involved in young Ed's

death, there was still the matter of the attempt on her husband...And described what they'd

learned about Dr. and Count Vitachi and his possible role...

The inspector explained that she hadn't charged Tim...And given the circumstances...

"And if we agree to be responsible for him?...Until the investigation is completed at

least?"

The inspector considered...

"Normally I would prefer that a potential suspect not leave the area, let alone the

country...But this is an unusual situation..." She glanced at the nervous Timothy

... "I believe the local magistrate could be persuaded to accept such an arrangement

...Provided..." she smiled at Lluwelyan...

"Our friend remain under a degree of police supervision..."

Oh...BR looked at Tim...Who looked rather crestfallen...

"We were hoping to bring him with us..." Walthrop began...

"Oh you may doctor...However...I think our friend should have some police

supervision and protection...And I hardly think that you and Mrs. Walthrop should

be attempting to confront whoever made an attempt on your life by yourselves..."

Ummn?...

"You were heading to Florence, I believe..."

They nodded...

"Lluwelyan and I have a house there...Just outside the city...We vacation there

every summer..." she smiled as did Lluwelyan...

They were happy to offer its use to them and were quite free to join them, Inspector

Rigg noted...

Strictly in an unofficial capacity, of course...With the exception of maintaining a watch

on young Tim...

She was rather interested in meeting Dr. Vitachi herself, the inspector noted...Grimly...

Hmmn...She did say she resented attacks on her family, BR thought...

Tuscan villa?...Hmmn...Thought Oz...Who, having four days off-tour was accompanying

his friends to Florence...Never hurts to have a little back-up...And as long as the Council of

Watchers, desperately anxious to get in BR's and Buffy's good graces, was paying their

way...

Besides Buffy Rebecca couldn't leave poor Oz alone in Britain with the flu...

Yeah...A villa in Tuscany...Sounds good to me...Oz thought...

More company...How jolly, thought BR...In despair...Looking at Spike...

Geesh...He looks a little pale, she thought...After all that blood loss the other night...

Almost no sleep last night...No wonder...

He looked back sympathetically...We do have eternity, dear...

"You need to go to the men's room..." she hissed to him, after slidling over

...And surreptiously slipping a blood packet into his hand...Hugging him...Tightly...To

cover...

Well, partly to cover...Honeymooners here after all...

"My pale cheeks are just a reflection of my longing for you, sweet..." he

whispered back...And headed off...

Every now and then...Buffy Rebecca thought happily...He really manages to get it right...It's

gotta be the poet in him...

"Honeymooners..." Oz nodded at the Riggs...All of them noting the rather

elaborate send-off for a trip to the bathroom...

"A beautiful thing...Love..." Tim noted...

The Walthrops agreed, with thanks, to accept the Riggs' gracious invitation...

And the pleasure of their company...

"Well..." Lluwelyan said... "As we have settled on a joint holiday...Why

don't we start tomorrow night...With a meal and some farewell dance at Jack's Pub..."

He smiled at the Walthrops...

"We might find we appreciated the chance to relax a little beforehand..."

They agreed to meet at the pub tomorrow night...Allowing for one night's decent rest...

Hmmn...BR thought, a little more happily...As the Riggs went into the other room to fetch

some materials on their home's location, Florence, etc...And some paperwork regarding

the past few days' events...A free night...She glanced at the hubs...Oz and Tim now had

their rooms all set...At last, a decent night's honeymo...KACHOO!...She exploded in

sneeze...Startling herself and them all...A truly robotic Slayer's sneeze...

A full night's decent rest...Walthrop told her...In your tank...

She sniffled a bit...Looking at him...The tank?...(Cough)...Again?...

They'd have time to disassemble it tomorrow...he told her...

Rats...In fact...#$%&!...

And of course dinner tonight would include Oz and Tim as table companions...Great...

Not that she didn't love Oz...Or was still mad at Tim...But...Gee whiz...

Some honeymoon...She complained quietly...Just to him...While Oz and Tim were filling out

some forms the Inspector had brought out for them...

He'd be around...he assured her...Sleep right by the tank...And if by any chance, she felt

...Better...

Good man...She told him...But, she sighed...He'd better just check in on her...The

basement was too dank to sleep in...

Worse than any of his past crypts...

After all she didn't want him sick too...

Rats...#$%&ing...Rats...

"Am I...Cleared?..." Tim asked BR as they prepared to head back to their inn...

"Not exactly, Tim...But the inspector will allow you to come with us...And she'll see

to it that you're protected..." she told him...

"But...Not more running off.."

No Miss...He assured her...

"I just hope no one thinks...Badly of me..." Tim reflected...

"I never did get to ask you, Tim...Did you kill Edward?..." BR regarded him

...Pleasantly...

"Miss?..." he looked at her, startled...

Oz looked at her and Tim...Walthrop had gone off with the inspector...Who required a little

paperwork from the near victim of an assassin...

"Sorry, Tim...Had to ask, you know..." BR looked at Tim...And smiled...

The Adventure of the Freckled Man...Part XII

Walthrop, with Oz, slipped out around ten the next am...Leaving Tim on solemn oath to

guard the Missus' tank...And requesting the McGregors to keep an eye on Tim...To take a

quick look-see at the remains of the Winset plant, scout the town quickly, and take care

of some important honeymoon business...

Oz, for his part, was rather fascinated by the new Spike, and curious...About Walthrop's

friend Warren and his theories of "infinite potential people in an infinite

universe"...After all, if there could be a potential Buffy for Spike...And Angel

...Somewhere out there...Maybe...

Maybe...Agreed Spike over breakfast at a small restaurant in town...But...He grinned at

Oz...You're young yet, lad...

Not that he of all people denied the existence of true love...Or that dear Red was not

someone eminently worth waiting all eternity for...

At least in one of her infinite potential forms...

Spike asked to stop by a little shop he'd noted the other day...Wanted to hunt up

something he'd seen...For the Missus...

It was amazing, Oz amusedly noted...How quickly "Dr." Walthrop had

gotten used to his new situation...Strolling happily about town in daylight, as if

he'd never spent a day in a crypt...A contented husband out shopping for his

sweet Missus...

Well on his way to becoming a little smug...The eminent "cybergenius"

exchanging greetings with the rather respectful local citizenry...

Playing Sherlock with his Missus...

Decked out in tweeds no less...

Was that a pipe in his jacket pocket?...

Well...One minute he himself had been a geek trying to scrape together a band, with

a shy red-headed computer nerd girlfriend...The next he'd found himself a werewolf

...with a damned great band at least, he noted...Struggling against the forces of darkness

with the Slayer and co...In hopeless love with a lesbian...well, bisexual...Hey, where

there's life there's hope...Wiccan of incredible power...

Things change...

Willow is right, though...

That Walthrop is one lucky bastard...

They found the Winset plant area roped off...Scotland Yard teams combing the area...

Inspector Rigg among them...Greeting them briefly...

They poked about a bit but realized it was hopeless to do much with so many police...

Spike suggested they not get involved...No need to attract the attention of the big boys...

Oz concurred...

These guys might actually expect Spike to know something specific about cybernetics...

They slipped back into town...

To Jack's...Favorite daytime hangout of the town lout crew, Walthrop noted...

"Doctor..." The bartender greeted Spike happily...

Wealthy naturalized Americans who buy for the house are usually greeted happily by

bartenders...

"Ay...Doc..." "Cheers there Doc..." "How goes the little

Missus?, doctor..." from assorted louts at hand...

Likewise by pub patrons...It goes without saying...

Well, Willow warned me I'd find things with the Walthrops quite surreal...Oz thought...

As he and Walthrop hoisted a few with the lads...And probed for any possible leads...

And by God, he is one happy man...Er...half-man?... Oz noted...

As is his lovely, loving lady...

Freaking...

And she sings too, Willow said...Like an angel...

If anyone had ever told me I'd one day envy Spike...

"So, doctor...Anything new on poor Ed?..." Largish lout, obviously now

considering himself Walthrop's bosom friend, asked...

"Afraid not...But as you can see...Scotland Yard is now on the case..."

"Freaking turds is what they are..." Largish noted... Several of the others

banged glass in approval...

"Truer words never spoken, Davy...Sure and we could do a better job of it

ourselves...Freaking turds...Damned Londoners..." Rumbles from the bench...

"Well, gentlemen...Supposing we were to seek young Edward's killer ourselves

...What would be your opinions as to where to start?..." Spike asked...

[Suggested theme-Scotland the Brave March]

"I don't know about the rest of you, mates...But as for me...I'd break a few heads

at the Winset place...Those fellows know what's what here, if you ask me..." One

greasy capped fellow told them...

More glass banging...

"Aye, Damn the bastards!...Blast them, damned murderers is what they is!...Good

old Ed is dead and these fellows put us off with their folderol...Bust heads is what they

need..."

Hmmn...Interesting as the thought of a horde of crazed, violent louts swarming over

the town is...

Walthrop pushed an eager demon down a bit...The Missus, Spike...The Missus would not

approve...Even if we did get something out of the Winset staff before their gruesome

deaths...

"Doctor...What's your opinion, sir?... Should we head over to Winset and shake

the truth out of those fellows?..." Largish turned to Walthrop...Who eyed Oz...

Who was getting quite a kick out of the scene...

William the Bloody, voice of reason...

Hmmn...Thought Spike...Never thought I might be leading the peasants' lynch mob...

"Now, lads..."

The pub patrons agreeing to abide by their friend the eminent scientist's feeling that a

cautious approach was best at present, he and Oz redirected the conversation back

towards a calmer discussion of the events to date...

The eminent "cybergenius" and his guest returned to the McGregors to find

Buffy Rebecca up and feeling infinitely better after her "beauty rest"...

To report no new news...Except that the Winset blast had attracted some high level

attention...

She was sharing a cuppa with Margaret McGregor...Who likewise had noted BR's rapid

recovery...

I must get Angus to put in one of those Californian bioregenerative tanks...she thought...

Tim?...Spike asked, a trifle anxious...

Disassembling the biotank with Mr. McGregor's fascinated assistance...BR told him...

After all they'd be taking it to Florence along with them tomorrow...

He decided to head down and lend his protege and host a hand...Leaving Oz to relate

the day's details...

Such an impressive and capable man, Dr. Walthrop...Ms. McGregor noted, listening to

Oz's story of Spike taming the wannabe mob of pub patrons...

More impressive than you could guess, BR thought, grinning at Oz...How William ever

managed to keep his demon from leading that mob to burn down the town...

Poor Spike...He really must have been foaming at the mouth...To have to

pass up all that lovely violence...

For me?...Buffy Rebecca thought...Well, 'course he enjoys his new status

Even if Will has most of the fun...Spike wouldn't want anything to

jeopardize it...Still...

Gee...For me?...She thought happily...

God, that is one Slayer in love thought Oz...Looking at her...

And I thought she had it bad with Angel...

That evening Oz and Tim accompanied the Walthrops back to the little town's favorite

hangout, Jack's...Now in family mode for dance night...

Where the Riggs awaited them at table...

"Any trouble with Scotland Yard, Inspector?..." Spike asked her, grinning...

She smiled back...Nothing she couldn't handle...Unfortunately nothing useful from their

efforts as yet either...

Dance...Old country dance... night at the pub...And BR, though still a little sniffy, was more

than ready to waltz on down...

[Suggested theme-Lochnagar]

Dragging a shy Tim along to the floor...Where one of the numerous young ladies quickly

claimed him as a partner...

An old English waltz...Walthrop swung her around the floor...

And at the first break presented the Missus with an antique bracelet he'd spotted in town

and bought while out with Oz that morning...To match the antique necklace, Dru's wedding

present, which BR now wore proudly as a gift from her dear friend, human Drusilla...

Now this is proper honeymooning, Buffy Rebecca noted to herself happily...

From the way she reacted you've of thought he had just returned home from Hell after

saving her family and the entire world...Oz noted to himself, sitting with

Mr. Rigg...

This Walthrop could handle...

Buffy Is Me Darlin'

"A most loving couple..." Lluwelyan smiled at Oz who watched the Walthrops

as they glided about the floor...

Oz nodded at the frail English gent...Very Giles...Including that dry sense of humor...

And only excepting that wife of his, the Inspector...Who was currently occupied at the bar

...Placing a drink order...And speaking to a rather comely young lady...

But then again, you could be sure anyone Giles hooked up with would likewise be sure to

be...Interesting...

"It's an amazing thing, love..." Lluwelyan went on...

You don't know the half of it, friend...Oz thought, nodding...Then again, on second thought,

looking at Anna at the bar...Well, maybe you do...

"I mean...To be capable of redeeming even William the Bloody..." he smiled at

Oz...

Ummn...

"William the Who?..." Oz asked brightly, grateful for the noise in the pub and the

fact their booth was in an isolated corner...

Lluwelyan explained his remarkable perceptive ability to Oz...

A Watcher...Retired due to poor health...But a Watcher still...And alerted by the Council

to watch over the Walthrops while they were in north Britain...

The Council had arranged for the Walthrops' stay at the McGregor castle inn...Across the

border from Little Wopping, the Riggs' home...

Though they had intended that Llu simply Observe...Circumstances had changed with

the attempt on Walthrop...

Actually he was rather pleased to be recalled to active duty...

Well, thought Oz, I thought he was very Giles...If Giles looked like John Hurt...

He and Anna...Well aware of his "side occupation"...Had decided it was best to

conceal his status until they either found a clue as to the nature of the assassin or the

right time came...

As they'd have a chance to work with the Walthrops in private in Florence, the right time had

come...And as they finally had a clue as to who might possibly be behind the attempt...

And of course, Rigg smiled, Giles having petitioned the Council to grant Spike a kind of

Watcher status...Spike?...BR's Watcher?...Oz thought...It was part of the process to have

an evaluation of his skills...By someone preferably not a family member, as Ms.

Walthrop-Hunt...Soon to be en route to Sunnydale as Watcher for Ms. Granger...Had been...

Well...Freaking...

Hmmn...Oz was curious...

"How's he doing?..."

"Oh, quite well...Amazingly well, really...Unorthodox methods, but...I myself have

always preferred the unorthodox..." Lluwelyan smiled...

Spike...William the Watcher...Well, he's already in uniform in those tweeds he wears...

"Are they really in danger?...Do you know anything else we don't?...About this fellow

Vitachi, for instance?..."

Lluwelyan shook his head...

"Nothing that they don't know...But I'm afraid we can assume they're in great

danger..."

He smiled... "But as their friend, you know, that's nothing new for either of

them..."

Anna returned to the table...Having waited for her husband to complete his revelations

to the Walthrop's friend...

"Well...Have you two had a good talk?..." she smiled at them...Arm about

little Llu...

"Uh-uh...When are you telling Spike and Buffy?..." Oz asked...He hadn't

quite gotten used to thinking of her as Buffy's sister yet...

"Oh, let them be a bit longer...Plenty of time..." Lluwelyan noted, watching

the Walthrops sliding happily about the floor...Not at all badly...

But one would hardly have judged them to be superhuman...

The Adventure of the Freckled Man...Part XIII

On their return to the table, Buffy Rebecca and Spike realized that the Riggs and Oz seemed to have something to tell them...

Something clearly they felt young Tim should not hear...Just yet...

Oz took him to the bar for a quick drink run...

A Watcher?...thought Spike...As he listened to Lluwelyan...

Well, when you thought about it...Not really all that startling...

He certainly fit the profile...

Quiet, scholarly Englishman with no major visible demands on his time...

And his great times four grand niece Amelia had told them the Council intended to keep a close eye on them both while they were in Europe...

Nor was BR all that surprised on reflection...Although she would like some proof of Lluwelyan's status...Just in case...

The little town seemed full of surprises...She did not want any more unpleasant ones...

Before she could ask, the Riggs politely anticipated her request...

Lluwelyan suggested it was easiest to get confirmation of what he'd told them by contacting Giles and the Council via their computer/satellite link...Though he had the usual letters and seal of the Council which he passed over to BR...

Besides he and the Inspector were curious to see if there might be any new information from London or Sunnydale...

They agreed to head over to the Walthrop's inn after the evening was over...

Oz took on the formidable task of dancing with the redoubtable Inspector Rigg...

Whom he found surprisingly light on her feet...

While BR took young Tim, rather relieved to escape the other ladies' attentions, once around the floor...

And Spike discussed the situation with Lluwelyan...

Watcher to Watcher...

Not that either gentleman was foolish enough to try to make plans without their respective Missus...

Still...Spike couldn't help being pleased at the thought...My first non-Giles, non-relative Watcher meeting...Guess I really have finally made the team...

Hope he makes a good impression...Thought Buffy Rebecca as she watched Spike with Lluwelyan from the dance floor...

A recommendation from the Council as one of their own is sure to cinch his redemption...

Ms. Summers-Walthrop intends to get her husband through those pearly gates...

Whatever it takes...

Knew Rupert Giles?...Lluwelyan replied to Spike and the returned BR's question with a grin...

Tim now swirling round the dance floor in the capable arms of Inspector Rigg...

"I trained him...Quite a job I had too...The rake he used to be...I sometimes despaired of him quite entirely..."

"I can imagine..." Spike noted...He'd seen the Ripper side of Rupert...

Giles?...Oz wondered...

Really...BR thought...Well Buf and I knew Giles had had his wilder days...

Ok...Buf and I fantasized about his wilder days...

But after all, still waters run deep they say...We actually deserve commendation for our ability to see beyond the surface, I'd say...

Yeah...Our inner slut is fabulously perceptive...

Of course Sunnydale's collection of men of mystery...Even among the underworld dwellers...was not exactly...Until Angel showed up at least...

And one William the Bloody...

Take my William now...In his tweeds, glasses, and pipe, placid scholarly scientist, a regular Watcher...You'd never suspect...Though of course he retains that air of something...More...

Just like Giles, really...No wonder Basey went for him right away...That air of...More...

Of course 'Throp looks terrifically sexy right now...Out of uniform...Back in black...In character...And just the right size...

For me...

Lluwelyan had also known Max Creave, former Observer to new Slayer, Basey Granger...Who been killed saving her from the vampire lord who held her in his grip after the loathsome Mrs. Post had betrayed her...

He, Giles, and Max had formed rather a wild bunch in their time...

Oz tried to picture the Three Tweeders...Storming through merrie old England...

Still, having seen William the Bloody strolling around in glasses and tweed that morning...

Yeah...And Willow had mentioned once or twice she'd seen a little of Giles' dark edge...

Pretty dark...

Bet they were quite a crew at that...He grinned at old Llu...

Throw in Spike in his poet days and a certain werewolf-band leader...And...

Rather an inspiration to geek types around the world if you thought about it...

Tim having returned with the Inspector, the talk turned to Count Dr. Vitachi...

"Could you be wrong about him?..." Oz asked the Walthrops...After all, nothing disreputable or otherworldly had surfaced with regard to him as yet...Though the gang back home was checking...As were the Inspector's staff...

BR pondered...

"Well...We can't be sure of course but he kept us deliberately, I'm sure of that now...And I can't see what reason he'd have to do that unless he was connected with our shooter..."

"It does seem likely...But if not, at least we get the chance to all have a delightful time in one of the world's most beautiful cities..." Lluwelyan noted... "Where...I hope...My dear Buffy, you and the doctor will have a chance to put this unpleasantness behind you..."

Just like my Giles...BR smiled back at him...

How come the Council never sends people like him and Amelia to check up on Giles and me...er Sis and me?...

Tim thought it was logical that Dr. Vitachi was the culprit...After all, cybernetics is a competitive field these days...

They headed back to the McGregors' inn...Lluwelyan giving a brief but charming history of the town and area...Plus a few interesting local legends...The inspector contributing some tales of the antics of the Scotland Yard professionals in their investigation of the Winset blast...

Clearly she had little more use for the big boys than the gang at the pub this morning Oz and Spike noted...

They seemed to suspect...Without making any commitments of course...That it was the work of an anti-globalization terror group...Or perhaps a new splinter group of the IRA...Or just possibly a faction of the Red Army Brigade...Maybe industrial sabotage...Then again...

"In short...Not a clue, eh..." Spike noted...

Inspector Rigg grinned...

She wouldn't mind showing up those guys...The little country police chief...Solving this one on her watch, BR noted...Grinning at her...

Well, even Holmes and Lestrade worked together sometimes...

Willow and Giles in tandem had made several attempts to reach the Walthrops...Pity the computer unit wasn't pocket-sized portable...

Nothing new to report on the mysterious Dr. Vitachi...No records suggesting any past criminal or supernatural behavior...But they did want the Walthrops to know that Oz was in the area and should be hooking up with them soon...

Also an old friend of Giles had been assigned by the Council to assist them...

"Old news, both counts, Giles..." BR told Giles...Who was entertaining Ms. Basey Granger at dinner at his home...

Hmmn...Wilder side...BR thought...

With Buffy, Riley, Willow, Warren, and Angel...

Oh...Hmmn...I know one new Slayer who must be as frustrated as I am...

A little more of the wilder side, Giles...Life is too short...

Even for near-immortals...

Buffy was anxious to introduce her sis to Mr. Finn...Who seemed a bit overwhelmed...Though bearing up...

The events of the past months...Info overload...And all that competition...Poor Riley...BR noted...

"Riley..." she greeted him, waving at the screen...

"We've spoken, you know...Video tape, anyway..." she grinned at him...

No need to emphasize that she had every intimate memory of him Buf had ever had...

And was enjoying his obvious discomfecture every bit as much as her sister...

Not that she or Buf would ever want to hurt him...Just...

Nobody leaves Buffy Anne or Rebecca Summers flat...

Nobody...

The Adventure of the Freckled Man...Part XIV

"So..." Spike noted to BR after they'd completed their call...Giles having had the chance to greet his old friend Lluwelyan and the Riggs, Oz, and Tim all properly off to their respective beds...

"Guess old Warren is out of the Buffy races...What with Riley and Angel around..."

"Why do you say that?..." BR grinned at him...

"Well...I mean...You know I love old Warren like a brother...And father-in-law...But..." Spike hesitated...

"You think Buffy...And I...Go for the hunks only...?" she looked at him...Up and down his rather slight frame...With a rather pregnant pause...

"I just meant...He did leave...Tried to settle up with the old fiancee..."

"So...? 'Dad's back now, isn't he?...And he told Buffy he was going...And why...Face-to-face, not by letter..." she paused... "And he kept in touch...In case she needed him...Unlike some people..."

"Sis respects that...And that he wanted to make sure things were over with old Katrina..."

"Scratch one Finn, then?..." he asked...

"Nooo...But if Riley has any idea he has the inside track...That he just has to open his hand and Sis will fall into it...Then he'd better think again...We...Sis and I...Can forgive...We never forget..."

Especially you, love...With that supplemental memory...

"Of course...There were issues...We...Sis and I...weren't giving him what he needed...We hadn't put him first..."

Spike was fascinated...After all he waited for years to get this kind of information...

But...Angel...Surely he had the inside track...The first great love...

Nah...Angel, admittedly of necessity, had taken the slow track...He was, unless a redemptive miracle occurred fairly soon...Out of it for Buffy's current lifetime...

And, she confided...possibly for the whole shebang, frankly...

Buffy Anne...Or Rebecca...She noted, fixing him with a look...Summers likes her men to put her first...First...Regardless of whatever dutiful head-nodding she might do when Angel goes on about their joint responsibilities to the world...

But...Spike had become rather fond of his grandsire since his redemption...Angel had had to leave...Angelis...That Prophecy...

Prophecy...Schmaphecy...Since when do any of us put our trust in Prophecy?...At least since the good old Master's little game...And we didn't notice Angel searching the world for a faster cure...Did we?...She noted...

And Wesley has rather a big mouth...Angel seems to have been rather willing to risk Angelis' return while in LA...

Oops...Poor granddad...Spike thought...Busted...

Well, he told me about the thing with Darla...He was just trying to help her...Spike noted...

Uh-huh...Was he trying to help this Kate...Anne...etc?...too?...she asked sweetly...

Well...I doubt happiness was involved...Can't say as to sex...Ummn...

"I know he loves Buffy..." Spike said brightly...Thinking fast...

If anyone had told me two months ago I'd be speaking up for old Angel one day...he thought...

Well...BR reflected...Sis knows that...And she'll always love him...In some way...

Besides he still has a chance...If he has the brains to go for it all out...Now...Not whenever Prophecy...Or his datebook...allows it...If not...

We'll...er Sis and he will...always have Sunnydale...

Not that that has anything really do with us, she added...A trifle guiltily...

Whoa...

This is one scary woman...Spike thought...And I thought I had menace...

Poor Angel...And to think, once I would have rejoiced to hear this...

He had to put in a plea for old granddad...

"But...And not that I wouldn't be glad for Warren...Angel can't have...A relationship with Buf...Right now..."

And Buffy hasn't exactly been hunting for Angel's cure herself...He wisely did not say...

Males...Vampire or human, they sure stick together...BR thought...And they stay firmly focused on the one key issue to them in a relationship...

Sex...

"Buffy could deal with the sex issue...And find ways to prevent happiness from overwhelming Angel...It's just...Why couldn't he stay around?...Look at what happened after he left...Would you have run off to LA in similar circumstances?..."

And hooked up with every girl who came your way...Including your old vampire siress...She did not say...

Wait for all eternity Spikey?...Never, dear...

He couldn't help it...It was too much to expect from old Spike...The demonic fiend had to gloat a little...

So old Christ Jr...Fallen off his cross and caught with his pants down...

Still Walthrop felt genuinely sorry for the poor bastard...Must try to get a warning to him...At least in terms of the eternal rejection BR threatened...

It would work out nicely if Warren could take care of Buf for the current lifetime...Angel being quite willing to wait to get his batter-up with one of her reincarnations...

Well...she did say he still had a chance...

"So all bets are off?..." he asked BR...

"The game's afoot..." she grinned... "And Warren has as good a chance as any of them..."

Now, 'Throp...Your turn...she told him...

Ummn?...

"Spike, I just gave you top secret and very compromising info...None of which is ever to leave our bedroom, by the way..." she smiled...

"So...Your turn..."

Ummn...He could guess what she was driving at...

And trust was the basis of their lasting relationship...

"Ok..." he sighed... "You will keep this to yourself, right?...And I do mean, including Buffy..."

She nodded...Of course, honey...

"Well...Drusilla, Harmony...And if I remember correctly...And wasn't too drunk at the time...A 'lady of the evening' as we used to call them whom my college friends introduced me to..."

Dru...and Harmony...And maybe one one night...Well ten minute...stand?...That's it?...

"Well..." he looked a leetle embarrassed...The truth is out...

"Dru seemed to need someone steady..."

My Victorian...And if you drop the two vamp ladies...And I do...

...Strictly Spike's girls, after all...

My God, we...Buffy and I...were right...All that hyperventilating rage and desire, it had to be...He's almost a virgin...And I'd bet anything...He was too drunk that night...

I bagged an almost virgin...A good-looking, quite sexy in fact, non-gay almost virgin...Who makes a very decent income making something useful to the world...

And who no longer lives in a crypt...

Wow...

Mom must be so pleased...

"The world...Will never know..." she told him solemnly...Kissing him with the passion of three Slayers...Frustrated for several nights running...

Hmmn...Maybe I should take it slower...she thought...After all, almost virgin...

Nah...It would embarrass him...

William the Bloody can handle it...

"You're a terrific lover, William..." she told him...

Oh God...Now she's trying to encourage me...This is just too...

Oh the joy...

Florence...

[Suggested theme-Spike and Buffy Rebecca in Florence (Once Upon a Time in the West)]

Walthrop had managed to remember a good deal of his previous trips to Italy in general and Florence in particular...

BR and Oz were too polite to ask when he had traveled to Italy, both well aware it was unlikely a poor Cambridge student from a single parent working-class 19th century English family had been able to make many trips to the Continent...

Now you're talking...BR sighed contentedly...Italian honeymooning...

As concerned as she was regarding the menace facing her hubs, BR was now firmly in honeymoon mode and determined to give Florentine sightseeing her full attention...

Which sentiment her loving husband enthusiastically seconded...

And the sympathetic Riggs were equally eager to see their charming young friends enjoy themselves a bit...While they did what they could to gather information...

And as always the Walthrops were generously anxious to include their guests on all activities...

So Oz and young Tim found themselves facing a daunting schedule of museum tours, tourist walks, the whole Florence experience...

Starting bright and early...

Oz watched them delightedly...Spike having the time of his existence...The Cambridge scholar-husband, happily pointing out the marvels of Florence to his eager and excited young wife...

Buffy Rebecca, demonstrating a side of Buffy Summers Oz had never suspected, tirelessly combing through every palace museum, every dingy church, everywhere...

Buffy Summers, closet art lover...

But it made sense when you thought about it...After all, the mother ran an art museum...

Yet of all her boyfriends and lovers...Only William the Bloody had ever...Sensed a fellow lover of beauty and art...

My God, thought Oz as he trudged after them, Tim by his side...That Warren got it

right...Spike...Er, Walthrop at least, really is her soulmate...This was no accident...No lucky break for the Spiked One...This was the Powers That Be...Setting a serious mistake right...And Goddamned about time, too...

Of course, if you didn't know, all one would see was two rather short blondes, one male, one female...Young and attractive enough, but not so as to particularly catch a stranger's eye...At least in Italy, home of the beautiful...

Just another couple of happy American honeymooners in Florence...

The Adventure of the Freckled Man...Part XV

On their return to the Riggs' the Walthrop Florentine expedition learned that the Inspector and Lluwelyan had managed to come up with little so far on the distinguished Count Vitachi...Except for two interesting facts...He was back in town...And the phone number of his office...

Dr. Vitachi's secretary was happy to set up an appointment with the Count for the

Walthrops...He'd been expecting to hear from them...

Every maniac is always so anxious to meet us...BR thought...

And always so congenial...At the early stages at least...

Count Vitachi was delighted to see his young American friends...The outstandingly brilliant "cybergenius" and his gallant, courageous, and lovely, artificial-limbed wife...

So...They'd taken his advice and come to Florence...The one place in the world for a proper honeymoon...

Even more charming than Sir Harold of Wolfram-Hart, Europe...BR thought...

Of course...Things must be done properly...The legalist in the Slayer kicked in...Innocent till proven guilty...

It usually being easy to guilt-prove vampires and demons...

The Count provided "Dr." Walthrop with his cover before he could even work up to it...

"So, my boy...You two are here early to get a little edge on the competition at our cybernetics manufactures conference in Milan..."

Umm...Indeed...Walthrop nodded...Even partially true...

"But you must remember that you have more important matters than mere business..." he smiled at Buffy Rebecca...

"And with that in mind, you must come to us tonight for dinner...My villa has...I like to say, at least..." he grinned... "The most romantic views in Italy..."

Hmmn...BR thought...Dinner at the villa...Alone with the man who may have tried to kill William...

So...We go from Holmes to Poe...Both Walthrops thought...

I imagine he has a cask of amontillado in a small walled room waiting for us...BR thought...

"My dear wife and children will be so pleased to make your acquaintance..." the Count beamed at them...

Family, eh?...Well...Still, maybe we should think it...

"We'd be delighted..." Walthrop told him...

Really...

'Throp...I know you think it's what I'd want...I appreciate your instinctive assumption about my courage...But...Sometimes you take this 'Greatest Slayer of all Time' nonsense a leettle too seriously...she thought...

She beamed at the two of them...And gave her 'delighted' thanks for the gracious invitation...To the Count...

Oz, Tim, and the Riggs were not overjoyed to hear that the Walthrops had accepted the gracious Count's invite...

Trap...Unquestionably...Trap...

"He could be innocent..." BR had to follow the legal niceties... "And even if not, he's hardly likely to try to kill us in his own home when so many people know where we are..."

"You have a point, Buffy..." Anna told her...And...The Inspector kicking in... "It would be a fine chance to acquire more information..."

"And she is the Greatest Slayer of All Time..." Walthrop put in proudly... "Not much likely to take her on successfully..."

She grinned at him in spite of her previous annoyance...Hard to be angry at him when he talked liked that...Even if he was setting the expectations bar a little high..And waved her hand at him to indicate that William the Bloody would likewise prove a formidable foe...

Tim being present she wanted to avoid mentioning why "Dr." Walthrop might prove a powerful adversary...

For his part Tim wondered to himself how the dear miss' sports experience would help in this situation...Fast reflexes perhaps, he supposed...

"In short...The Summers-Walthrops can handle this..." BR concluded...But backed off the pedestal she erected to themselves with a ... "As long as you guys are watching out for us..."

"Have no doubts about that my dear..." Lluwelyan assured her...

A young...butler?...Must be...In that white jacket...Dark, rather handsome...BR noted...Greeted them at the Count's villa door...In Italian...

To which Walthrop responded pleasantly...Nodding to her...

Not sure what else to do, she nodded pleasantly back...Thank God

someone in the family at least knows Italian...

The young man led them in through a hallway decked with fine paintings and sculpture to a huge hall...Likewise filled with paintings and other works...Leaving them with a smile...

Hopeful...BR noted...At least Vitachi's got other interests...No single-minded fixation on us...

And he's quite a lot to lose, judging from this house...

The Count's wife, Chesra came forward from the depths of the hall and greeted them warmly...In English, to Buffy Rebecca's relief...Young middle-age, about 10 years or so younger than her husband...

Their son Enri and daughter Elisa would join them in just a bit...

Better and better BR thought...A family...Social ties and obligations...

Difficult to butcher guests in the midst of a family dinner...

Although, of course, it depends on the family...

And this is after all the home city of the Medicis...And not far from the Borgias' home town...

She was pleased to note that "Dr." Walthrop was up to his Victorian gentleman's mark...Quiet dignity, a little charmingly youthful enthusiasm in his appreciation of the artwork, a modicum of hand-kissing and slight bows...Not over doing it, of course...English Victorian here...

Just perfect...His mum would be so proud...Buffy Rebecca thought...Proudly...

She tried to take her cue from him and Countess Vitachi...

But mainly went with that old exuberant all-American girl charm...

The dark, handsome butler returned...

"And here is our Enri..." Countess Vitachi smiled at him...

Enri?...The son?...Not a butler?...BR thought...But in that white jacket...And he hadn't acted liked the son of a count...At least how she thought a son of a count would act...Shouldn't he have kissed her hand or something?...Walthrop seemed unsurprised...

You might have told me, William...she thought...Of course if she had taken Italian back at Sunnydale High...

Enri had brought out what was obviously a very old and very fine wine...

Fortunately Spike was one vampire who did drink...Wine...And appreciated this one...

The Count was slightly delayed...Cybernetics, the Countess sighed, smiling at "Dr." Walthrop, a competitive and time-consuming field...

"Are you...In the field?..." Buffy Rebecca asked...

The Countess smiled at her...Yes, actually, she had some involvement in her husband's work...As did their children...Enri, for example was quite skilled...

Enri smiled at his mother...And graciously dismissed her praise...Switching to very fluent English...

"But of course...It is my father who is the one true genius of our firm..." Enri noted...And smiled at Walthrop...

"I cannot tell you, Dr. Walthrop, how anxious he has been to meet with you and your lovely wife...He was so impressed by your presentation and of course the work your company has been producing...As am I..."

"Dr." Walthrop graciously declined the praise, noting that Dr. Mears was in fact the true genius of W/S Bionetics...Whatever small contributions he himself had made...

But he, like the Count, was fortunate in having a wife who shared in his work as a partner...

Well done, Walthrop...she thought...Just don't start showing off my arms and legs again...

She noticed Enri was looking at her...With professional interest?...

"Forgive me, Mrs Walthrop..." Well, at least he was frank about it... "I am aware that you possess bionetic limbs...I hope I do not embarrass you when I say that one would never know from observing you..."

Spike was complimenting the Countess on the magnificent art work in the hall...

BR nodded at Enri, smiling...No problem, we're all professionals here...

"We both appreciate the compliment...I'm sorry...Is it Count...Dr...?..."

"Enri is fine, although I do hold a doctorate...The title, however, remains in my father's capable hands..."

"And William and Buffy are fine for us as well..." she told him...

Now if you could just get Dad to explain why he or someone he sent was shooting at us...

Elissa Vitachi was strikingly like her mother...Perhaps a bit shorter...

Likewise quite involved in the family business...And as interested as Enri in meeting the distinguished Dr. Walthrop...

The Countess, however, thoughtfully turned the conversation to the Walthrop's honeymoon...

All were now sitting in a corner of the great hall...

Were they enjoying Florence?...

Indeed...BR told her...They'd been all over the city...

Walthrop, smiling, sat down beside her...Gave a hand squeeze...A-'Head's up'-squeeze...

What?...She wondered...So far, so good, right?...Did he sense something?...

"Malfunction...Now..." he whispered...And turned to Elissa to continue his conversation on their plans for the cybernetics conference...

What?...Was he getting in over his head with the young lady cybernetist?...

Buffy Rebecca stands up suddenly...Her left leg wobbling...Her concerned husband rises as well...

A slight malfunction in her left bionetic limb...No real problem...

Minor social faux pax...

The Vitachis are a bit startled but of course...Understand...

Gallant lady...

"A slight adjustment should take care of this...Might we use the...facilities?..." Spike asked politely...

"Certainly, doctor...Perhaps, though, the workshop...?" the Countess asked, concernedly...

"No, no...Just takes a moment to make the adjustment..."

Buffy Rebecca beamed an innocent...Gallant smile at them...

"I'm so embarrassed...But William can take of this in a moment...If we may..."

"Certainly dear, certainly...Enri..." the Countess asked her son to guide the Walthrops...

In the privacy of a bathroom worthy of a Renaissance prince, the Walthrops looked at each other...

Bugged?...BR mouthed, not wanting Spike to give anything away too quickly...

He shrugged a 'Who Knows'...and came to her and whispered...

"Did you sense anything?..." he asked her...

Sense...No...Nothing...

You sense vampires?...Demons?...she asked...

No...he whispered...But something's wrong...We're sitting with three people...I'm not sensing any other humans in the house...

So?...

So...Where are the servants?...And there's more...

Well, she reflected...Maybe with all this the Vitachis can't afford a staff...Maybe it's some kind of modern aristocrat democracy thing...Ummn...Servants' night out?...So what more?...

"I don't think we're sitting with three people..." he whispered...

What?...You just said you didn't sense vamps or demons...You don't think they're human?...

Oh...You think...

"I sense maybe one human...Not three...Though I'm not sure which..."

"But you can't be sure regarding robots...I've fooled you...Even April fooled you...Not to mention..."

"I'm guessing, sure...But then I wasn't expecting April not to be human...She didn't register as demon or vamp...But there was an emptiness in her...And in Buffy-April when she was up and running...As for you, sweet...You are human..."

I'll bet you say to all the human-souled robots...She thought, pleased...

"So you think two are robots..."

"It's a possibility...Unless they're some kind of ghosts or something else I can't detect..."

Well...Vitachi is a cybernetist...

"We'd better get back..." she noted...

Enri tapped politely at the door...He hated to intrude but his mother feared perhaps the doctor might need some assistance...If he needed any equipment?...

"All set..." Buffy Rebecca called cheerily as they emerged...

And accepted Enri's proffered arm...Looking inquisitively at Spike...

Well?...Him?...

They strolled casually back, Enri apologizing profusely for disturbing them...

Not at all, Walthrop told him...It was good to know experienced...human...help was at hand...

Ok...BR thought...

So...Here we are...In the home of a man...who may have tried to kill us...who has built himself a wife and daughter...

So much for the social ties and obligations restraint...Excepting Enri, of course...

And pretty true to form for male robotmakers...

From her admittedly limited experience they tended to produce either females or copies of themselves...

The Adventure of the Freckled Man...Part XVI

Buffy Rebecca and Spike were spending a pleasant evening at the rather palatial Florentine home of Count Dr. Salcome Vitachi...

With his "family"...Who, if Spike's unique sensitivities were correct, consisted of a human son and a robot wife and daughter...

And excellent robots at that, BR had to admit...With mild disturbance...

They seemed so...Human...

Yet, Spike had said...They had the emptiness of an April...Whereas she, Buffy Rebecca...Had a human, if artificial brain...And a soul...Proven after death no less...

The old nagging fear...Was she human, after all?...An independent human being?...Or...

She put the thought firmly aside...What more proof could you ask for than a soul's return after death?...And there were more practical issues immediately at hand...

Like the possibility of imminent death for instance...

And the need to keep up her end of the conversation...With three very erudite, despite the possible robotic nature of two, and sophisticated individuals...

After all, she did not want to come off as the dumb blonde Californian...Even the gallant...dumb blonde Californian...

Even with robots...

Oz was on duty with Tim and Lluwelyan Rigg in a car just down the street from the Vitachis' villa driveway entrance...

Spike was...If possible...To signal them by beeper if real trouble developed...

So far...So good...

No moon tonight...Likewise good...Although Oz felt his control was about back to normal...And Lluwelyan, as a Watcher...Would have been capable of understanding his plight...And taking appropriate restraining steps...

Still...Remaining human made for a much more pleasant watch...Lluwelyan's stories of his Watching days...Including those with Giles...Despite his censoring of some matters for Tim's sake...Being quite entertaining...

Tim, however, was clearly nervous regarding his hero's fate...Not to mention the young miss for whom he seemed to have developed an equally strong attachment...

Lluwelyan, natch...Watcher...thought Oz...also noticed Tim's concern...

"I'm sure they will be just fine, my boy..." he patted Tim's shoulder...

Tim nodded, but noted that he still couldn't help wishing they had more than Ms. Walthrop's sports experience behind them...

This Count fellow seemed a bit...Off his brass, if they were right about him...

Despite the possibility of great danger...The likelihood of imminent death and destruction...BR couldn't keep down one perhaps mildly embarrassing thought as she continued to chat pleasantly with Enri and the Countess...

What's for dinner?...

After all, she hadn't eaten since lunch eight hours ago...

And it sure would be nice to eat before any fighting and so forth began...

Especially considering what an aristocratic Italian family was likely to serve at table...

She felt a little...Hmmn...Should have eaten something...That wine was going right to her head...

Warren and his passion for accuracy...

Hmmn...Did Spike just say that wall hanging was a "beautiful shapestry..."?...she giggled, just a little...

Why is he shandinng...standing up?...

Uh-oh...

The Vitachis were eyeing him...Rather coolly...He wobbled a bit...And called out to her...

"Buffy...We'd shetter be going...I think we've been shrug...drugged..."

Elissa grabbed him...With rather surprising speed...And held him...As he passed out

"It's slow-acting, Mrs. Walthrop..." Enri told her coldly... "But I assure you not fatal...He'll be alright if you remain calm..."

She got up...Wobbling...Enri regarded her intently...Perhaps with a little surprise...Looking at the Countess who moved on her...

He's suzzled...puzzled that it's works on me...He...Guessed about me...She struggled to think clearly...And move on Enri...The one human in the bunch...

And passed out even before Chesra could reach her...

Hah...Shooled you there...Thought I shasn't shuman...she thought just as she went down...

"Shrug..my sis...drug me..." she mumbled, struggling vaguely to rise...

Just as Buffy would've...she passed out...

Good ole Dad...

"I suppose...They took your beeper away..." BR asked Walthrop who nodded...

Well, it least wasn't a walled-in room...And according to their watches, they'd only been out for an hour or so...

She and he were chained to the floor of what appeared to be a basement room...Stone walls do a prison make...She thought...

She could break chains like these...But they'd agreed they should wait a mo to find out if they could learn anything...Let the Count or Enri come in...Make the usual pronouncement of doom...And explain...Why...

Spike pointing out it usually worked that way...Even she...Buffy...Was fond of making her "Here's the deal" speech before meeting out her Gift to enemies...

"You make it sound like I'm...We're...Like these people..." she noted, a little peeved...

Not at all, dearest...Just...

Of course from his pov...His former pov, she corrected...She had to admit...

Anyway the large metal door to the room did not look like it would open easily in any case...

So they waited...

Besides...Oz and the gang would be sure to get them out if this lasted much longer...

Still...The chains were chaffing her ankles...Not very gentlemanly of Enri, she noted...

Not to mention ruining a perfectly good pair of stockings...

And...

The least they could have done was to feed them first...

A blot on Florentine hospitality, that's for sure...

Elissa entered the room carefully...Surveying the Walthrops...Enri and the Countess followed...

"I don't know suppose there'd be any point to asking why you drugged my wife and me, Dr. Vitachi?..." Spike asked him...

Enri looked at him for a moment, saying nothing...And moved to Buffy Rebecca...

"Mrs. Walthrop...I have a rather unusual question to ask you..."

Well...Considering what's being happening...

"I have a few questions myself, Enri..." BR told him...If he'd just move a leetle closer...And if Elissa would kindly move a leetle further from Spike...

Of course she couldn't be certain how strong Elissa and Chesra were...

"But...It's your house...Shoot..." she told him...

He smiled faintly...Americans...

"Are you a human being?..." he asked her...Looking straight into her eyes...

Lluwelyan suggested they drive by the gate again...So far, so good...But he'd like to see if anything had changed...

Oz agreed and they drove past the Vitachi driveway gate...Lights still on...All seemed well...

"So what's Mrs. Rigg up to?..." Oz asked, after they'd parked again...

"Oh...Anna's out gathering a bit of information...Meeting a few friends...Who may know something about the dear Count..."

Oz nodded...But he couldn't help wondering if the friends the Inspector was meeting were female...

Unfair, he admitted...She was a professional...Still, he liked Lluwelyan...And could sympathize...

Must be tough...He only loved Willow...Lluwelyan was married to Anna...

Still...They'd found some way to work it out...The affection was distinctly there...

And to be fair...Llu was hanging out with the boys...One might wonder...Though Oz had seen nothing to indicate...

In fact, Llu had seemed rather taken with Buffy...Buffy Rebecca...And his stories of Council days with Giles and Max Creave had a distinctly hetero favor...

Well...What love can overcome...Look at Spike and Buffy...er..Buffy Rebecca...

Kinda gives a guy hope, you know...

Hey, where there's life...Oz thought...

"I'm surprised you haven't examined me..." BR returned Enri's stare...

"I would never do such a thing...Without your permission..." he told her...

"My wife is quite human, Dr. Vitachi..." Spike told him firmly...

Enri ignored him...Elissa continuing to watch him carefully...

"My brain is artificial, but a perfect neural copy of my original..." BR told Enri...

"And from experience...My husband and I know that my soul is human..."

He regarded her...

"My father...Had heard of the work of your Dr. Mears...From his former employer..."

Good ole crazy Severn...Was he seeking second opinions while Warren was getting me up and running?...Him and his search for immortality...

Yeah, Severn was the type to hedge his bets...And being the administrative type, not a true expert...Would have sought expert confirmation...

"But we never thought it possible...A true human brain, but artificial?..."

"Does it matter to you?...Obviously you have some violence in mind for us..." she looked at him...

Enri looked at her solemnly...

"It might make a great deal of difference...If it is true..."

Enri told the Walthrops he would have Chesra and Elissa bring them back upstairs...Chained...So that he could speak to BR a bit more regarding her claims of humanity...But he wanted them to understand...His two "relatives" would take any action he deemed necessary to stop them if they tried anything...

And they were prepared to deal with Dr. Walthrop's unique nature...Motioning to Elissa who pulled a crossbow from just behind the open door...And pointed it levelly at Spike...

"So it was you and your father who tried to kill William in Britain?..." BR asked him...

"Did you kill that boy Edward as well?..."

"Forgive me, Ms. Walthrop...But I prefer to await my father's coming before we continue discussing these matters...However...I will say that we had nothing to do with that young man's death...He was a brilliantly promising programmer and a sad loss..."

Oh...She thought...So...She looked at Spike...Who was struggling just a bit with the

chain...Riveting Elissa's attention...To give her a chance?...

Please stop that Dr. Walthrop...Elissa told him...Looking at Enri...

"Yes, doctor...Please stop...You may force us to act prematurely..."

"Sorry, honey...You'd better stop..." BR told him...

Now all three were paying most of their attention to Walthrop...

She snapped her chains in a swift movement...

Chesra swung at her, knocking her down...

She hopped up and caught the robot on the neck with a high kick, tossing her across the room...

Chesra hopped up and came back in...

BR had no time for this...And had evaluated Chesra's strength as considerably lower than her own...Unless she was holding back...

She slammed down on the neck and suddenly felt a soft spot on the upper neck...Instinctively she pressed and the robot stopped and fell...

She'd found the off switch...Count Vitachi's "wife"...Had an off switch...

No doubt every male's fantasy BR thought...

Thank God Warren and Spike had never thought of it in time...

A quick turn and over to Spike...Oops...

A large robot, nothing human about this one...blocked her...She grabbed it and would have turned it on its side but...

"I would appreciate it if you would follow our friend to a seat, Mrs. Walthrop..." Enri called to her...Indicating the robot guard...

Enri now covered Spike with the crossbow...Elissa held him firmly...

She was too far to reach him in time, BR realized...

She came forward quietly, and they all went upstairs...Leaving the deactivated Chesra on the cell floor...

Back in the great hall, she and Spike sat down where the robot guard and Elissa indicated...

From the back of the hall, a loud, slow clapping was now heard...

"Bravo...An excellent performance, my dear Mrs. Walthrop...And you, Dr. Walthrop..."

The Count had arrived...

He'd seen all from security cameras in his study...

He was not angered by Chesra's deactivation...And any repairs would be easy enough to make...

Another remarkable demonstration of their workmanship ...

Warren's and Walthrop's...

The Count takes a conservative line with female robots, I see...BR sighed...

Unlike Enri, the Count seemed more interested in Walthrop and spoke to him directly...

And came right to the point...

"You do not remember meeting a young woman like my Chesra...Barely 25...in

1977?...Milan?...Both of you strolling in the early twilight...She with a small child..."

"Leaving her for dead..."

Uh-oh...BR thought...I knew this would be coming up...Sooner or later...

Spike's victims...Back to haunt him...

"Could you be more specific, Count?..." Spike asked politely... "I was rather busy in those days..."

"Your wife..." BR looked at the Count...

Count Vitachi nodded...

He rapped Spike on the ankles with his cane...

"Do you realize what it meant?...My wife's death in such a manner?..."

"The people there knew the signs...I was not allowed bury her in hallowed ground...In the church...For any sum...Her poor body was thrown in a grave for common criminals..."

"And then, when she...When that thing rose...I...Knowing nothing then of these things..Thinking it was all foolish superstition...Was not there to save her..."

"Or our daughter...When the...monster...That had been my wife...Killed her as well...A short time later..."

He gripped the cane, white-knuckled...

"And so...I learned about the supernatural...Of necessity, you might say..."

Buffy Rebecca pleaded with him...William Walthrop was not to blame...His demon...

He tapped his cane at BR...speaking in a tight rage...

"It is you I blame Mrs. Walthrop...You...And your original...had the chance to destroy this monster...And gave him love instead..."

Spike looked at BR...

"I'm not sure if I remember all the details of those days...But I rarely transformed people...I honestly don't remember transforming a woman like your wife..."

"That 'transformation' as you call it...Was accomplished by another...Your companion at the time..." the Count told him...

Uh-oh...Dru...Thanks for the parting gift, darling...Spike thought...

"I won't say...That my husband bares no responsibility, sir...But surely...If he didn't..."

"That means nothing to me, Mrs. Walthrop...He murdered her, the other finished her..."

"But were you there?...How can you be sure it was..." she pleaded, faintly...

"It was me..." Spike said simply...

Enri came closer...

"Yes...It was you, Dr. Walthrop...I was with my mother...I saw you...Even a child does not forget such a sight..."

He couldn't have been more four or five at the time, Buffy Rebecca thought...To have seen that...

How can I blame these people for wanting us dead?...Or worse...

Walthrop looked at the Count...And Enri...

"I'm truly sorry for your loss, doctor...Is she...Still?...If you let me, I will try to help her..."

"There is no need...My..." the Count paused... "Those...Creatures are safely contained...In a nearby place..."

Both of them...BR thought sadly...Mother and daughter...God, it could have been me...Buffy...Or Dawn...And Mom...So easily...

"Enri and I will deal with them...When the proper time has come..."

"I see..." said Walthrop... "Then...Will my death make some amends?..."

BR looked at him...William...

But what could she say?...Plead for his human soul?...His chance for redemption?...

"Count Vitachi...Enri...I love my husband's human nature as you loved your wife and mother's...Please...I know we have no right to ask mercy from you...But..."

"I have no interest in destroying your husband's...This creature's...husk...Mrs. Walthrop..."

He paused...

"But I offered you both mercy...In Britain...When I sent Enri to seek you out...And left it in the hands of God...The mercy of his quick destruction...Or my own desired path..."

So Enri had fired at Spike...Mercy...

"It appears God wills that we should have the full measure of our revenge..."

She looked at him...The cold gaze of an Italian aristocrat...

"So you're going to kill me..."

"You are a machine, my dear Mrs. Walthrop...It is true...I do intend to destroy you...As it will cause your husband some measure of suffering...But I wish to inflict an everlasting suffering on him..."

The Adventure of the Freckled Man...Part XVII

Spike looked at Count Vitachi...With sympathy...And resignation...

"Doctor, I understand your feelings...And if ending me will ease things for you...But I have to tell you...My wife and I...Are pretty well acquainted with death...And aren't afraid of it..."

Weell...BR thought...

"It's your soul in jeopardy, Dr. Vitachi..." Spike told the Count... "And your son's...Buffy Rebecca is human...And if you kill a human being..."

"How can one kill a machine, sir?...And much as I respect his genius, Dr. Mears has simply developed a more advanced computer...Perhaps capable of mimicking some human thought processes...Nothing more..."

"Leaving that argument aside, Count..." BR interrupted... "It's clear you intend to harm William's soul rather than his demon...The same principle applies...If you harm a soul...It's your own you place in jeopardy..."

The Count looked at her...And Spike...

"Can such a creature as he have a human soul?...Can God allow such a monstrous thing?...And yet...I believe you, Mrs. Walthrop...I believe your husband retains his soul...In some form..."

"And so, retains the responsibility of his crimes..."

She closed her eyes and struggled to think...

"And your wife...And daughter?...Are they responsible?..."

"No!.." Enri, firmly...

The Count looked at his son...Some disagreement here, BR noted...

"They...Whatever remains of them...Must also bear the consequences of their actions..."

Spike looked at him, clearly startled...

"You can't blame them for their actions?...They're innocent..."

Enri looked at his father...Who returned Spike's gaze...Inflexible...

"It is as I have said..."

But Enri was clearly interested in another matter...BR's neural transfer...

Both she and Spike could guess why...

And, in spite of his father's grim position, Buffy Rebecca sensed that he too...

Had the faintest hope...

However he might try to block it out...

Inspector Rigg had come to join the stakeout team...With hot coffee and, naturally...Italian pastry...

"Anna...Always to the rescue..." Lluwelyan gallantly noted...

She also had come bearing some information...

Dr. Enri Vitachi...Count Vitachi's son...Had just returned from his own trip abroad...Exactly where was unclear...

"But it could have been Britain..." Oz finished...

She nodded...But even more interesting was a note the Council had sent to Llu which she'd picked up on her way...Confirmed by their friends in town...

The Vitachis had considerable interest in the occult...Had consulted Council members several times over the last twenty-three years...Including requests for information on the Slayer...

"The occult?..." Tim asked, wondering...

"Bingo..." said Oz... And explained to Tim that it simply meant that the dear Count must indeed be off his rocker...Religious fanatic...Mystic type...you know...

Ah...Those types...Strange combination, though...Cybernetist and occult freak...And why bother the doctor?...

Well...Maybe he's out to get all nonbelieving colleagues...That sort of thing...Oz suggested...

Ah...Tim nodded...Like that Unabomber fellow in the States...

"Has there been any activity?..." the Inspector asked...

Not a thing as yet...Llu told her...

Perhaps...He glanced at Tim...He and young Oz should scout the place a bit...And while they did that...And while out in the clear air...They might try contacting the Walthrops' friends in the US...

She glanced at Tim as well...And agreed it was a fine idea...So long as they did not get too close to the house...

Tim would stay with her...A little protection for her, she told him...

Hmmn...Oz thought...Protection, eh...Are you sure?...He looked at Lluwelyan...

After all...

Lluwelyan nodded...They'd be fine...

Well...Oz doubted Inspector Rigg needed anyone's protection...

"Love...Careful...And look to our Mr. Osborne..." she cautioned Llu...

He nodded...And patting Tim on the shoulder with a smile, got out...

Oz urged Tim to keep a close guard...Which Tim solemnly promised to do...

They went off, Oz carrying the computer/satellite link...

Inspector Rigg watching them closely...Anxiously...She does love him, Oz thought, looking at the frail Llu, striding ahead...In her own way...

No form of love should be despised...Oz thought...As he looked back at the anxious inspector...

And noted Llu had stopped to let him catch up and was looking back at his Anna...Equally anxious...

No form...

BR was a bit more hopeful...Both the Vitachis were clearly interested in the neural transfer that had created her brain...

With an eye to saving whatever was left of their loved ones...

But Spike felt it his duty to be honest about the matter...And spoke up...

"Warren's process won't help your mother and sister..." he told Enri calmly...

BR looked at him...William?...

He looked at Buffy Rebecca and sighed...

"Warren and I discussed it...For me...And Angel...Just before our wedding..."

A wedding gift?...

A human...Well, robotic human...Walthrop...And...No need for me to live knowing I might have to stake Spike one day...

Risky of course...With considerable danger of failure...But...Surely, if the Vitachis wanted to try...

"I know it might be difficult...And it could fail..." she started...

"All you could hope for would be to copy the current mental profile...There's no way to separate the human and demon elements..." Spike told them, looking at BR...

He has been applying himself...she couldn't help thinking...A little more time and that "Dr." title would be deserved...

"When Warren recovered you, darling...He simply pulled all of Buffy's memories...Including yours that Willow merged in Buf...After all, you were one..." he explained... "I hoped, at least for Angel's sake...But..."

"Then...It would simply be copying Elissa and Mother...As they are now?..." Enri asked him...Looking at both of them...

"Yes..." Spike paused and looked at BR... "Sorry sweet...I couldn't let them hope...After what I've done to them..."

Well...He could have done the noble thing later...Still...

It was sweet of you to look into it, Will...she thought...But...We'll be together...Whatever happens here...

And Angel will find his way...Somehow...

"It was right of you to tell them William..." she told him...

Just wish you could have waited just a bit longer...she couldn't help thinking...

Count Vitachi did not allow his sorrow to show...But it was clear he had hoped...If only for an instant...

Poor, poor man...Buffy Rebecca thought mournfully...No...William was right to tell him...Even if he kills us...

Enri looked at them...Despairingly...

He's been dreaming of saving them all his life, Buffy Rebecca realized...

A four year boy who saw his mother die a horrible death...

The Count had recovered his balance...And masked whatever blow Spike's information had been to him...

Enri, BR noticed, was having a tougher time of it...

"I tracked you for some time, Dr. Walthrop...You and your former companion were quite the travelers..." the Count told Spike...

"Why did you wait so long?..." Spike asked... "Surely you've known where I was..."

"For much of the time since my wife and daughter were murdered...Concerned as I was with your fate...Securing the creatures using their bodies had my first priority...However I did make the attempt on occasion, fearing you might outlive my justice..."

He smiled at Walthrop...Just the lips...

"My compliments on your abilities, you escaped my operatives four times..."

"Particularly in Prague...In 1989..."

"That was your people...That mob..."

I always thought it was strange how they'd caught on to Dru and me...Spike thought...Well, one old mystery solved...

"An agent of mine in the crowd...A match to kindling...I had only recently discovered your identity...And thought it would be sufficient to simply destroy you..." he reflected...

"Perhaps...At that time it would have been..."

Then, through contacts in the occult world, built up over the past years, he'd learned of Spike's arrival in Sunnydale...Home of the famed Slayer...

And had assumed the matter could be left to her capable hands...Based on what he'd heard of her activities...

While he and Enri continued their hunt...Which had ended just one year ago...

"You see, Dr. Walthrop...I had been told a demon reigned in vampire bodies...That creatures like you were not in fact responsible for their actions..."

"I was willing to leave you to God's justice...Until I learned you had not been destroyed by Ms. Summers..."

"In fact, she seemed to be tolerating your existence quite well...I could not understand it...But I had to deal with our own problem..."

"Finally, about nine months after Enri and I had finally captured...those creatures...Dr. Severn contacted me...And I learned of your creation, Mrs Walthrop..."

He'd kept them hidden away for months...After hunting for twenty-three years...Praying, hoping, searching desperately...For a cure...A miracle...Which never came...She thought, bowing her head...

And now, a last hope...Gone...

He didn't have to show it in his face...Enri's sad, shattered expression said it all...

But...Maybe...

Enri was looking now at BR...The robot guard now covered Spike with crossbow...Elissa still holding him...Awaiting orders...

"So...We learned that William the Bloody had not been dispatched by the Slayer...Nor left alone to suffer in torment...You had come...To bring him happiness..." the Count smiled coldly...

"Perhaps...You can imagine that such news did not bring me joy..."

Lluwelyan and Oz had moved far enough away from the car to feel safe about using the computer/satellite link...

No need to upset poor Tim by adding another...supernatural...dimension to their hunt...

They reached a cheery Dawn who, with Giles' slightly reluctant approval, had been trying out the new system for some research...

Yes...Giles had come up with a little on the Vitachis...she told them...

But...How was Italy?...Was Buffy Rebecca there?...No?...Were she and Spike having a good time?...

Grand time, Oz told her...But could he speak to...

"One mo...Giles!..." Dawn cried...Calling him to the screen...

"Guess he's in back...Hang on guys..." she told them...Going away from the screen...

Good old Dawn...Oz thought...Of course, if Willow is right...I never really met her...Though I can remember protecting her, playing with her...

Strange line of work we're in...

"So...That's Glory's Key..." Llu noted thoughtfully...And smiled at Oz...

"A strange field we're working in, eh...But, even with all the horrors...The wonders never end..."

Oz nodded...Llu was right...In a strange way, the wonders make it worthwhile...Like Dawny...

At least when no one's in imminent danger...

Giles arrived at the screen...

In addition to what Inspector Rigg had learned from the Council's letter...It seemed Dr. Vitachi had had dealings with Wolfram-Hart...

BR was considering another escape attempt...She could break the chains around her...But Elissa still held Spike and the non-humanoid robot held a crossbow...

"Count..." Walthrop looked at him... "Let this end with me...Destroy me and those others...And find yourself some hope of peace in this life...I swear to you...You will find your wife and daughter in the next...If you don't throw your soul away in this..."

"As I have said, Dr. Walthrop...Your destruction is no longer sufficient for me..."

"What has changed, doctor?..." BR asked him... "Why is his death no longer enough?..."

"You have given your husband the chance to escape his crimes and his punishment,

madame...That is what has changed..." the Count informed her...

Escape...He thinks William is escaping him...And his God...

"But his soul is innocent...As your wife's and your daughter's..."

"Indeed?..." said Count Vitachi coldly...Enri looking at him...

Definitely some disagreement here...

But she had one last thing to offer...

Courtesy of her favorite law firm...

"Do you think it's important..." Oz asked Lluwelyan as they packed up the computer and prepared to head over to the Vitachis' driveway gate entrance...

"It may be...It seems as though the Count may have been trying to save someone he lost..."

"And Spike would be what...Vampire consultant?..."

"Sadly...I doubt it...More likely William the Bloody is the cause..."

Oz looked at him...He'd nearly forgotten...After just a few days with the new Spike...

"So this is revenge...I guess we shouldn't have let them go..."

"It usually is, my boy...But the devil you know is always better than the one you don't know...And they were aware of the danger..."

He smiled reassuringly at Oz...

"And...If these people are still...Seeking a cure..."

Oz nodded...They won't move too quickly...

"Enri...There is one possible way...It was used to save...my original...When she was transformed a few months ago..." BR told him...

Count Vitachi regarded her with a faint smile...

Enri looked away from her...

What?...

"We are aware of the resurrection process, Mrs. Walthrop...It was I who gave it to the Wolfram-Hart firm...In exchange for their assistance in learning to use it..." the Count told her...

Spike looked at them...Willow...Willow had warned him...When she thought she might die at the vampire Leto's hands and that Giles and he might try the resurrection ceremony on her...

Without Wolfram-Hart's unique negotiating team to offer the demon inducements to stay in its home ground...Hell...A human soul stood little chance...

Even Buffy had won out only because of Willow's work and BR's spirit presence...And the immature state of her demon...

"You've tried it, haven't you?..." he asked them... "They aren't vampires anymore, are they?..."

He's right BR realized...And that's why...They're human again, but not...Human-souled...

Their demons couldn't transform the bodies under the ceremony spell, but they could win the race to control them...

What was it Red said?...Spike thought...It would be worse, more dangerous...To have the demon win control of a human body...Armed with the knowledge and memory...Able to try and deceive those...Who loved them...

She wanted me to kill her if that ever happened...Even if it turned Buffy Rebecca against me, it had to be done...And I knew she was right...

The others could never had done what it would take to stop her...Only me...The pure bred killer...

What have I done?...he thought...How many more are there like these people?...

If I...Had fought harder...Or better still, fought less...It could have ended so long ago...

The man is right, he thought, looking at Count Vitachi...It was mercy to offer me quick destruction...More than I deserve by a long shot...

"They...Are no longer like you...But they remain...Monsters..." the Count told him... "Their souls were too weak to resist the creatures that controlled them...Even in human form..."

"And so they are damned...Forever..." he smiled thinly at Walthrop... "And you...Are here...Your soul free...Your redemption secure..."

He blames them, BR thought...That they didn't fight harder to come home to him...And Enri...

He now turned to BR...

"Even your Watchers' Council now thinks highly of one they once considered a hideous menace...You and your original have achieved a great thing, Mrs. Walthrop...My profound compliments..."

"A tribute to the power of love..."

Back to the dungeon...The Count and Enri having preparations to make...

Too bad it was doubtful those included dinner...Buffy Rebecca thought...

Elissa, the other robot guard, and a reactivated Chesra stood in the room watching them...

Still early yet...Not likely the gang was too worried so far...

Spike was embarrassed about something she realized...

All those poor victims...And now these poor women...He must be in full remorse mode...Like our second night together after the wedding...

I haven't told even Sis about that night...Talking to him for hours...While he relived it all...

The price for letting Walthrop out of his prison...I'd thought I'd seen signs when we were together at the crypt...The more human he became...The more he suffered...

Just as Angel warned me he would...Sooner or later...

"Ummn...Sweet?...About that quote earlier...The 'fall of a sparrow' thing?..."

Hmmn...Oh, that...

"Oh, that was beautiful, honey..."

Ah...Well...

"Maybe not one of your very best...But considering you had so little time..." she continued...

Well...It...It wasn't one of my best?...

"Darling, that was one of Shakespeare's best lines...I've waited my whole existence to have the chance to say it..."

Americans...He sighed...

"Well...I still think you've done better..."

Really?...Oh come on...

Would she lie when they were both about to die?...

She had a point...

This is what he's embarrassed about?...She wondered...That I'll think he ripped off

Shakespeare?...

The Adventure of the Freckled Man...Part XVIII

Lights on as before, everything seems normal...Oz noted as he and Lluwelyan watched the Vitachi home from the driveway...

"Notice anything, my boy?..." Llu asked him...

"Seems the same...Ok so far..."

"But where are the flickers?..."

Flickers?...Oz thought...Do the Vitachis run movies at home?...

"No flickers...No shadows...No one moving about in there...Not for some time...Unusual for an aristocrat's dinner party, wouldn't you say?..."

"I suppose they could be using another room, down below or something..." Oz suggested...

"Possible...But why keep things so lit up for an intimate party in another part of the house?..."

"You think it's for us?...To keep us waiting out here?..." Oz asked Llu...

"Again, possible..."

A true Watcher...Oz noted...Sharp but as hard to pin down as Giles...

Yeah, he, Giles, and that Max must have made quite a threesome...

BR was nervous...Not so much about the Vitachis, dangerous as they were...As about Spike...Or at least, her William...

He was talking about his guilt again...Clearly anxious that the Count take him for his revenge and spare her...And had equally clearly been considering ways of presenting the Count with a fait accompli...

Fortunately...No wood available to him...Except in the crossbow now carried by Elissa, robot copy of the original Elissa Vitachi...Now under lock and key with her poor mother...Whose robot duplicate was likewise watching them...

She did not want it to end here and now, thank you...Much as she appreciated the sincerity of William's remorse...She'd put considerable effort into Walthrop's redemption and felt entitled to at least a few years with him...Before his demon re-emerged and broke free...And she would have to take action...To stop Spike...And protect Walthrop's soul...

Some emotional support was clearly called for...

"Will...Whatever Spike has done...Whatever these people accuse him of...It's not you...I couldn't...I wouldn't love a murderer..."

She looked at the two humanoid robots...Don't suppose you ladies would consider leaving us for a moment's privacy?...No, I guess not...

He looked at her...Torment in his face...What have I done?...To them...

To you...

You bastards...This is not fair...He's done nothing...Nothing...Goddamn You, whatever You are...she thought...This is Your guilt he's carrying...

The Powers That Be...

She tried again...

"Will...We'll decide when the time has come...Nobody else has that right...You've earned it..."

"If you love me you'll try to stay with me..." she told him... "Please..."

He looked at her a long time and nodded...

A true Victorian gent always bows to his lady's requests...

Enri returned about half an hour later...Examining the restored Chesra while Elissa and the non-humanoid robot stood guard...

"Our friends will be getting worried, Dr. Vitachi..." Spike told him coolly... "You might want to consider the consequences of our not returning..."

Enri smiled...With equal coolness...At him...

"I doubt your friends will intervene before we finish here...And our firm is quite prepared to pay any damages Dr. Mears may charge regarding Mrs. Walthrop's loss...As for you, sir...I believe my father has already told you he does not seek your life at this time..."

"Buffy Rebecca is a human being...And legally as well, if you check her documents...If American citizenship can be taken as a proof of humanity. You...And your father will be murderers...Here and in the hereafter..." Spike told him...

"I don't think it will be difficult to convince a jury of Mrs. Walthrop's true nature once she is disassembled...As for the hereafter...Perhaps we should leave that to God..."

"Her soul came back to us, Enri...After her death..." Spike told

him... "Her sister was saved with the resurrection process because

Buffy Rebecca's soul was there...Helping her..."

Enri paused from his work and looked steadily at him...

"If you are telling the truth...It would have to be merely a hallucination on the original Ms. Summers' part...A desperate fantasy on your own...She is and will remain, a marvelous piece of workmanship...Nothing more..."

But he looked again at BR...Carefully...Judging...

"No..." Spike told him firmly...

"Enri...Whether you think I'm human...Or not..." Buffy Rebecca looked at him... "William needs my help...His soul...His redemption...Are delicate things...If you take me and leave him here...Alone...You may do far more harm than you realize..."

"If it will condemn him...I will be content, I assure you..." Enri told her...

"You're the one who'll be condemned, Enri...And your poor father..." she looked him in the eyes... "You may still find your mother and sister in the next world, if not here...If you don't proceed...But if you do...I promise you...You'll never see them again..."

"I'm not asking you to release us...Just...Take us both...Together..."

Enri looked at her...And turned to Walthrop...

"She is a noble creature...I'd have liked to meet her original..."

"What will you...Your father...Do to her?..." Walthrop asked him...

"We'll destroy her in the way that causes you the most pain, Dr. Walthrop..." Enri told him evenly...

He finished his examination of Chesra and left...

But he looked back again at BR as he went out the door...

She returned his stare calmly...

Lluwelyan Rigg and Oz stood before the grand front door of the Vitachi

villa...

"Well?...Knock?...Ask if Spike and Buffy are here?..." Oz asked...

Llu considered...

"The direct approach is sometimes advisable..."

They were moving down a corridor in the basement, Elissa, Chesra, and the other robot having released their chains from the floor...And the ladies having requested that they move quickly and quietly along with them...

Naturally, Chesra had told them, Elissa would use her crossbow on Walthrop if they so much as hesitated for more than a moment...

Clearly they were receiving orders internally...

Pity Warren didn't outfit me with a transmitter...BR thought...I could try my hand at jamming and overriding their signals...

Musical ability...She thought...

Well...Spike's fault really...Him and his "special requests"...

Not that I don't like being able to sing...And Mrs Walthrop's...My Mum-in Law's... favorite song ... "I Know Where I'm Going"...is very sweet...

Thanks, Mum Walthrop...I may be seeing you shortly...

Matter of fact...I wish I knew where I was going right now...

"What did he mean...The "most painful way to me"?..." Spike asked her...

"You want me to consider this in detail?..."she asked him...

"Just...Wondering..." Walthrop looked at Elissa and Chesra, guiding them along...

"Don't suppose you ladies know what your brother and father have in mind for my wife?..." he asked them...

"That question is beyond the scope of our programming, my dear doctor..." Chesra informed him graciously... "Please keep moving..."

Hah...BR thought...Programmed...And limited to functions within their programming...I knew it...

The Vitachis are good...But...

My "Dad"...And W/S Bionetics, Inc...rule...

The knocking had proceeded up the scale from a pleasant rapping to full-scale "Your house is on Fire!...The Nazis are invading!..." smashing...

No avail...Though the lights remained on...

Hmmn...Oz looked at the windows...Break a pane maybe...Probably a couple to get those open...

He heard a sound from behind...He turned as Llu swung the door open...And grinned at him...

Flexing his fingers...

Special talents...And Anna's nail file...

He grinned back at Llu...

"So...Giles was the Ripper...And you were what...The Cracker?..."

"Strictly in the line of duty, my boy..."

They had gone through several doors which Chesra locked behind them...Deep below the grounds...Getting rather far from the main house, BR thought...A hallway tunnel...Leading?...

In the middle of the next portion, all three robots suddenly halted and froze...

Walthrop looked at Buffy Rebecca...She looked at him...

"Well...Shall we?..." he asked...

She looked at Elissa's crossbow...Still pointing at Walthrop...

Hmmn...The Count might be playing some game with them...

"Wait...Just a second, honey..." she inched over towards the frozen Elissa...

And snapping her chains, grabbed the crossbow from the robot's still frozen hands...

"We shall..." she grinned at Walthrop...

Enri emerged from a side door in the hallway, just in front of them...Hands raised...

"You haven't much time before my father learns what I've done...Go..."

"You deactivated them, Enri?..." Walthrop asked him...

BR looked at him...He nodded...

"Understand me, Walthrop...Or whatever you are...I have no sympathy for or acceptance of you...I do this solely for your wife...As my mother and sister would wish, I know..."

"And if I leave you...In this world...It is only with the hope that you will exist long enough to be condemned again...As they are..."

Spike nodded...

Enri led them into another long hallway stretch...With several rooms leading off...

BR closed the door to the section behind them...Blocking the stricken robots from them...

"Are we near the outside?..." she went up to Enri, whispering...

Just a bit farther he told her...

BR grabbed Enri and whirled him back, holding him firmly...

"Buffy?..." Spike looked at her...

"Do you sense Vitachi around?..." she asked him...Spike shook his head...

The robots in the rear area had come back to life and were advancing on the door just bolted...

They began pounding...It wouldn't take them long, Walthrop noted...

BR nodded...Still holding Enri firmly...He did not protest, staring fixedly at Walthrop...

"Come out to us, Count..." she called... "I know you can see that I have Enri...Call off the others and come out..."

The robots ceased banging at the door...

They heard the sound of an elevator...Spike began to sense another human presence...

While Enri struggled helplessly in her grip...

Count Vitachi emerged from a side door in the hallway...Which led to a small elevator...

"How did you know?..." Spike asked her...

Buffy Rebecca smiled grimly...

"If the roles were reversed...If it had been my father...My mother...Dawn...Or Buffy...I would never allow their killer to escape...And I knew he wouldn't...Even if he felt for us..."

So...Her tackling Dru wasn't all for dear Walthrop...he thought...

But I guess I knew that...

Count Vitachi nodded...

"Enri does feel for you Mrs. Walthrop...If it is of any comfort, he at least believes you may truly have a human consciousness of a sort...And he does regret your destruction...That much is sincere...But he loves his mother and sister...So he brought you both here...As I asked him to..."

"Why the playlet?...I have Enri now...I can take William and we can leave right now...If you want your son back unharmed..."

"I seriously doubt you would harm him, Mrs. Walthrop...It would exceed your capability..."

She looked grimly at him...The Count shrugged and waved his hand a bit...

"But in any case...You are quite right...You could leave immediately...As to why I would give you such an opportunity...That I choose to keep to myself at present...But, before you and Dr. Walthrop leave...As long as you are here..."

"I would like to introduce you both to my wife and daughter..."

The Adventure of the Freckled Man...Part XIX

Lluwelyan and Oz had entered the Vitachi villa...

Very nice place...Palace...The Count has here, Oz noted...

"My boy...As long as you are carrying that thing around...I think it might be wise to make use of it...If it can be used for a local telephone call..." Llu indicated the computer/satellite link...

A true Watcher...Oz thought...Always maintain contact and have back-up on stand-by...

That is...If you have back-up...Usually good old Giles was the back-up...

Lluwelyan reported to his wife that they'd found no one so far at the front of the house...And no signs of alarms, guards, protective devices...

So far...Oz noted...

But also...No Walthrops...

The inspector reported no trouble at their end...Tim was being quite vigilant...

"Take care..." Anna told them as Llu broke contact...

"She worries..." he smiled at Oz...

Lucky man...Oz thought...A little sadly...

I'm beginning to think...I'd rather not know this kind of relationship...This love...Is possible...he thought...

Might be easier to think there's only one barrier between Will and me...

Buffy Rebecca held Enri firmly as she and Walthrop followed Count Dr. Vitachi to his little "family get together"...

Neither could yet understand...Why had he and Enri staged Enri's phony assist, allowing her to grab him?...If they wanted her as dead as they seemed to...

Dead...Or worse...Thought Spike...

Yeah...There are worse things...he thought as he looked at his wife...Holding the handsome young man in her grip with one arm as if he were a small doll...

And I think we're about to get a taste of one of those "worse" things...

God, protect my sweet wife...From all things evil...

I told Dawn once Buffy Rebecca would do that for me...As she has...And will...

Always...

A through search of the house above the basement revealed no sign of the Count, his family, or their guests...

"Is this the Count?..." Oz pointed out a group of photos on the wall... Strong-willed looking, distinguished graying man...Rather like Burt Lancester...Lovely woman a bit younger next to him and a handsome young man and lovely young woman...Resembling their...Parents?...

"Can't say..." Lluwelyan replied... "I've never met him..." He looked at Oz...And smiled...

"You were testing me, weren't you, son?..."

Oz grinned...Well, one learns to be careful in our business...

"Well...You and Mrs. Rigg do have a house in Florence...The Count has had contact with the Council..."

"I will say...I sure would be disappointed if you were working with him..."

Llu nodded...A natural suspicion...Nice to see our immortal Slayer's friends watch out for her...

"For what it's worth, my boy...I understand there was considerable dissension over the acceptance of William's reformation...But no one on the Council wishes to risk the loss of our dear Rebecca...She's become the greatest asset we've ever had..."

"She's that powerful?..." Oz regarded him...

Llu nodded... "And her appearance means...For the first time...We can hope to see our human Slayers live past a few years..." he paused and smiled wanly...

"We're not all as callous about them as we may seem to be...But when you've seen them die one after the other...Nearly all brave-hearted, noble young women..One must develop a certain ability to take the long view in the fight..."

"You've lost a couple yourself?..." Oz asked...

Lluwelyan nodded sadly...

"I still see their poor faces every day...Or night rather, when I sleep..." he shook his head...

"No Watcher ever forgets...Their Slayers..." he looked fixedly at Oz...

"So...You see I have a stake in seeing our Rebecca survives...So that our other Slayers will live as well..."

Oz nodded...

"A sharp eye...And a focused mind...You know..." Llu regarded him keenly... "You'd make a fine Watcher yourself, young man..."

"If we could help you with that werewolf problem..." he smiled...

Well...Watcher...Oz noted...Nice to see he's on the ball...

Hmmn...Me on the Council?...They could use a little loosening up...And it would keep me in touch with Will...

"Was that Giles or your Council who told you?...Or do I give off the vibes?..." Oz grinned at him...

"Both Rupert and the Council felt I should be aware...In case of an accident, that sort of thing...You actually conceal it well...Your control is coming along nicely..." Llu told him...

"I've seen a few like you, never one so able to restrain it..."

"Thanks...I try...Don't always succeed..." Oz looked at the photos...

"You thought the Count might have lost someone...Any ideas?..."

Llu sighed...

"Probably one or more of the people in these photographs..."

"Spike..." Oz looked at the photos...

"I'm afraid so...But like you, he...Walthrop, at least, is trying...That's really all any of us can do in an imperfect world..."

Yeah...I guess it's true...If you think about it...I'm a step away from being a Spike myself...Or is he...Walthrop...Just like me?...

In any case...It's certainly not for me to judge him...

"And you, Llu...You and the Council can really forgive him...Spike...His crimes?..."

"It's not really a question of forgiveness for Dr. Walthrop, my boy...We've learned that several times in history...He is innocent, like others who have been saved...Like your friend, our dear human Slayer, Ms. Summers..."

"Buffy?..."

"She killed when she was transformed...Not the record of William the Bloody of course...But..."

Buffy killed people?...My God...Poor, poor kid...Thank the Powers That Be...Bastards...They haven't already asked enough of her?...

Llu pondered...

"We can't help them often, these poor trapped souls...Except to release them...Through the Slayer's efforts...But when it does happen...When they are brought back...And we can establish that they are free...How can we presume to judge them?..."

"But these folks appear to have..." Oz looked at him...

"If those people on the wall were your family?..." he smiled at him, faintly... "But let's press on..."

It was rather like a scene from those movies with Boris Karloff...Or Vincent Price...The dungeon in the castle, shrouded in darkness...Light dribbling in from the hallway door...And chained to the wall...

A young woman and a small girl...Perhaps late twenties for the mother, the daughter about seven years old...

Chesra and Elissa Vitachi...

They've only been human again a short time, BR noted...Only just started to age again...

For them it's still 1977...

She looked at Enri, tightly in her grip...Who looked at his family and said nothing...

"Why do you keep them like this?..." Spike turned to the Count...Who smiled coldly...

"You will understand that before you leave..."

They had seen their visitors and were speaking...Pleading, BR could tell...In Italian...

"What?..." she turned to Spike...

"They say...They're being held...Help them...Their husband...father...Is insane..."

"Are they?..."

He nodded...Demons in control...

No humanity left in them...However heart-rending their cries might be...

"We were fooled at first, of course...Enri and I...We wanted so much to believe...They were free at last..."

The Count smiled bitterly...

"Imagine our surprise when they turned on us...Tried to kill us both and flee into the world..."

Spike looked at him...

"But...They lacked their old power...And we were able to restrain them...And bring them here..."

"Dead...Forever...And Damned..."

"No..." BR told him... "These are only the shells of what they are...You are wrong..."

"It's admirable of you to try to protect Dr. Walthrop, my dear...You are a marvelous

instrument..." Count Vitachi told her...

"But we have brought you both here for a reason..."

"You want me to kill them..." Spike regarded the Count...

BR looked at him...

Enri was quiet and resigned in her grip...

The father and son...And the mother and daughter...

Separated for twenty-three years by Spike...And Dru...And more lost to each other now than ever...

He wanted Spike to kill them...It was true BR realized...He and Enri couldn't do it...So...They turned in desperation to the one who'd started the whole tragedy...

And yet, innocent as they...

"I should tell you Count...Neither I nor my wife is easily capable of killing humans...There is a behavioral modification chip in my brain...She has a block in her neural net structure..."

"But...I have crashed through the chip in the past..."

Will...BR looked at him...You're not thinking...

He looked back at her...

"They're my responsibility...Willow asked me to kill her if she was lost in this way...If I can give them peace..."

She looked at Vitachi...

"Please...Don't make him do this...Don't put this burden on him...Not on William..."

"Are you capable of helping us, my dear?..." the Count asked her...

Could she?...Even to save William and herself?...No...She looked back at him...

"I thought not...And the responsibility is his..."

"IT IS NOT!" she screamed at him...She turned to Walthrop...

"Will, this is not your duty...Leave it to the Powers That Be..."

"Leave them?...Like this?...And hope the boys and girls upstairs will get off their asses and help innocents for once?...In less than a century or two that is..."

What could she say?...she thought...What was there to say?...The Vitachis knew exactly what they were doing in confronting William with his poor victims...

They couldn't have hired professionals?...

This is his revenge...She thought...Looking at Vitachi...And Enri...

Their revenge...

And they know it will destroy William...Tear him apart...And the real evil...They know he will do it...And why he feels he must...They accept his redemption...Hell, they counted on it...

They have no right to do this to him...It is evil...

Still...Someone...someone must help these women...

And I can't let my poor Will suffer this...He'll never stop now until this crime is purged...

"I'll do it..." she told them in a small and weary voice...

The Adventure of the Freckled Man...Part XX

Oz and Llu began their probe of the basement areas...And found the doors leading to a network of tunnels...

"Well, that's one question answered..." Oz said... "They've gone in here somewhere..."

"Yes...Well...We'd better call Anna...Have her bring in help...The Vitachis may already have left these tunnels somewhere away from the house..."

Hmmn...By the time we get help...And yet...We'd never find them in this maze...Unless...

Unless we had a bloodhound...Of sorts...

"Llu?...Is Buffy's?...Buffy Rebecca's...coat still in your car?"

"I believe so, my boy...Why?..."

"Could you have Tim bring it in here?...I have an idea on how to find them..."

Oz looked round...There...A lamp...

Now...Just need something to cut the cord...

"What are you up to, my boy?..." Llu asked, watching keenly...

"Just a little something the US government taught me last year..." Oz told him...

"So this is why Enri 'helped' us...So you could get us to see them and..."

"The decision had to be made freely if you were to actually do it...You and your husband would have used any constraint as an excuse to refuse when the moment came..."

Freely?...she thought...And yet...It's true...We could just go now...Even if they tried to kill us

later...

But Will can't leave them like this...

And I can't let him be forced to do it...No...

He's suffered enough...I won't let him be tormented for this...Even if it's done for pity's sake...

Buffy Rebecca looked at Spike...No...He looked pleadingly at her...

"They're demons, Will...Only their bodies are human...I can do this...And I won't let you do it..."

She looked at Enri Vitachi...Locked in her grip...And released him...

She turned to the waiting Count...

"Will you let us leave in peace?...If I do this for you?..."

He nodded...

"If you can do this...If you will give them peace...We will not try to hinder you and your husband from leaving..."

It's what you brought us here for, after all...she thought...

And I was wondering why they didn't just get professionals...

But they did...They got the best...

Spike and me...Professional killers extraordinaire...

She looked at poor human...Demon, demon...she correctly desperately...Elissa...

Seven year old children our specialty...

Tim was concerned...Things seemed to be dragging themselves out in there, he noted to Inspector Rigg, looking at the Vitachi villa...

The doctor and the miss...Should have come out by now...

Patience, young man...She told him...Mustn't jump the gun...Just cause them more trouble than if we do our job and wait...

He nodded reluctantly...

Llu's call came through...

The Inspector passed Tim BR's coat and began dialing for the local police...

Tim, for his part, was rather pleased to have an errand to occupy himself with...And hopefully a chance to check on the Walthrops...

Oz had stripped the lamp cord...Just a matter of getting the coat...Then giving Llu and Tim enough time to get away from him...

His experience with the Initiative had taught him that his condition was by no means limited to the cycles of the moon...

At least in special cases...For brief periods of time...

[Suggested theme-Demons of the Past (Adagio for Strings)]

Walthrop was pleading with his wife to let him deal with the two demons...Their bodies were human...He couldn't let her take on such a burden...Spike was the cause...Let him be the cure...

Enri had gone over to where his father stood...And watched them carefully...

The two Vitachi females...Human demons...Were becoming more agitated as they sensed their danger...Crying out to the son and brother...

He covered his ears in desperation...And looked at Buffy Rebecca...And Spike...No vengeance in his face...Just...Pleading...

"I've done enough to you...And Buffy...Please, leave this to me..." Walthrop begged his wife...

She shook her head...And looked at him...No...

Spike...and a merciless God...have made my Will suffer enough...She thought.

She was on him and had put him out before he could dodge her...

The Count watched her as she pulled Walthrop out the door and locked it as she came back in...She returned his stare...And looked at Enri and the tears running down his face as he tried not to hear the anguished cries of the demons...

"Enri, you should leave too..." she told him, going over to him and putting a gentle hand on his shoulder... "Is there another way out?..." she asked the Count...Who indicated a door at the other end...

She helped Enri to the door and locked it behind him...

She returned to the Count...Who clearly had no intention of leaving...

"Before...I have a question, sir...Why did you destroy the Winset laboratory?..."

He regarded her...

"Yes...The facilities there were important in the final development of my Chesra and Elissa...But I had no wish for anyone to learn of their existence as machines...The laboratory and the work there...Was my own to do with as I wished...Besides...I knew it would fix your attention on me when you learned that I was associated with a place destroyed in such a manner..."

"And poor Edward..."

"I regret that fine boy's death...A brilliant programmer who helped to make my copies possible...But I had nothing to do with his end...In fact, Enri took great risk to ensure that no one was endangered by the blast..."

She nodded...That settles that, she thought...A little sadly...

She looked back at him...

"Are you...Absolutely sure?..."

He nodded...

"What will you and Enri do?...After this?..."

"We will take our new family...And go...Anywhere we can find peace...And forget..."

Tim and Lluwelyan had moved back upstairs...Listening...

Oz plugged the lamp in...Took care to throughly sniff BR's coat...And shocked himself...

Hearing his howls...Tim looked at Llu...Who smiled back reassuringly...Mr. Osborne was making use of some American Indian tracking skills...Involved a little extreme, perhaps to some, unusual, preparations...And required absolute privacy...For concentration...

After the sounds faded, they descended and followed Oz's sounds into the tunnels...At a discrete distance...

Buffy Rebecca looked up at the two chained figures...Now quiet since Enri had left...

"Tell them...Tell them that I am the Slayer..." she told the Count...Who spoke to the demons in Italian in a loud voice...

They had stopped their cries on Enri's departure and watched the two humans carefully...At the Count's words...They shook with fear...

"Tell them...I will send them back where they belong..." she told him...Wearily...

The little one looked at her...A child's pleading eyes...

"Miss..." Chesra the adult called to her...pleaded in broken, heavily-accented English...

"Please...Do not do this terrible thing..."

Buffy Rebecca looked up at her...Firmly, coldly, sadly...The demon eyed her...A demon, she could sense it now...There was no question...

It could see...No pleas would stop this Slayer...And cursed her...

As now did the little one...

She looked at the Count...Mounted the large stone steps leading to the platform where the two were standing side-by-side...And climbed slowly up to the first...The adult...

Even Vitachi couldn't look at them...

She reached Chesra...Who raged at her now...Clearly invoking all the deities of Hell...

I love you William...

She looked at the demon...Full in her furious eyes...

"Here's the deal..." she said to it quietly...

The Adventure of the Freckled Man...Part XXI...Conclusion

She climbed sadly down to the ground where the Count stood waiting...And looked at him...

The Slayer...Her Gift dispensed...

"Are we settled now?...Are you willing to leave us alone now?..." she asked him quietly...

He stared at her...And then at the lifeless bodies on the platform ledge above hanging limply from their manacles...

William pounded at the chamber door...

"REBECCA!" he screamed...In terror...Spike and Walthrop both...She noted vaguely...

"Well?..." she looked at Vitachi...Who said nothing...

Just continued to look at his dead wife and child...And back at her...

Tim and Lluwelyan had reached the long tunnel hallway to the chamber where the demon Elissa and Chesra had been imprisoned...Oz, still transformed, had reached a bolted door and was smashing and howling at it...

"Sir?..." Tim looked at Llu...Who clearly intended to press on despite the whatever-it-was waiting for them down the hall...

"We're needed my boy..." he patted Tim on the shoulder... And pulled a small pistol from his coat...

A little protection...Courtesy his dear Anna...he noted...

As for the howls ahead...Just young Oz...Continuing his unique form of tracking...

"I cannot prevent you from leaving Mrs. Walthrop...Take your 'husband'..." he smiled at the word... "Take him and go..."

"Not without your word, sir...That you and Enri...And your agents...Will leave my husband and me...And our family...In peace..."

She stared back at him...Rigidly...

She was so...Tired...Of it all...It seemed almost pointless...

If not Vitachi and his son...A thousand others...

Walthrop continued to pound...She called to him briefly that she was...Fine...Just fine...But not quite done yet...

Just fine...She looked at her hands...

Demons...They were just demons...She told herself...And one day I will have another demon to kill...

He did not stop...Calling to her to let him in...

Her poor sweet tormented Will...It was worth the pain, she told herself...It was...And it would be...

She'd known it would be hard...The hardest thing she...Buffy...Had ever done...

To save a soul...Not just release it and hope she'd done the right thing...Save it...Here...Now...

But she'd made the decision and cast the dice...A lifetime ago...Back at the Greenwood crypt...

Before her death...

And she couldn't have asked more of Walthrop than he'd already done to prove himself...

A decent and worthy human being...Worthy of being loved...In every way deserving of her efforts to save him...And her true soulmate...

Which somehow...Knowledge borne from wherever in Warren Mears' theoretically infinite universe she'd come from...She'd instinctively known...Almost from the start...And certainly from the moment she realized he truly loved her...

But even as she'd grown to love the human soul of William Walthrop...And rejoice in his salvation and their happiness...She'd known what shadows were lurking in their future...

And accepted them...As the price of his salvation and their union...

A match made both in Heaven and Hell...

But...Vitachi hadn't answered her...Yet...

And she intended to have an answer before they left...

"Mr. Rigg, sir...What's?..." Tim pointed at the rigid body of the Chesra robot...Standing in the hallway...

Apparently deactivated for the moment...

"Is she?..." Tim gulped a bit...No...The lady couldn't be dead...But so frozen...Lifeless...

Oh...Wait a mo...

"I don't think she's human, my boy..." Lluwelyan looked at him...

"No, sir...A robot...I think..."

Tim's professional curiosity kicked in...Remarkable piece of work, he noted to Llu...If only the doctor were here to take a look with him...But...Perhaps when things cleared...For now...

Duty calls...

Oz's howling was dying down...The brief transformation was ending...

Tim and Lluwelyan left the robot and hurried down the hall...

They found Elissa's robot double also deactivated and knocked to the floor near the next door...Smashed open, fortunately...

At the far end of this section...They saw a dazed looking Oz wobbly standing by a large, heavy ood door...Blocking their further progress...

"Behind there?..." Llu called to him...

"Yeah...I think so..." Oz told him...He grinned a bit shakily at Llu and Tim...

"A fine job, my boy..." Llu told him as he and Tim reached him...

And time to call in the reinforcements...Llu told them as he looked at the rather solid door...

From beyond which they could now hear Spike's faint cries to BR...

"Tim...I think we'll be needing the computer..." Llu told him...Indicating the satchel Tim had kept close by...

Anna answered immediately and with relief...

In a few moments the reinforcements were on the way...There now being a reasonable indication of a possible crime in progress...

And two British officers of the law...European Union law...being present to certify to that effect...

The Count rubbed his eyes...Suddenly...For a moment...He was a tired and defeated old man...

But inflexible...

"I will make no promises as to the future, Madame..." he told BR coldly...

So...It wasn't over...He wasn't satisfied...

She'd had enough...

"Do you mean?...You intend to hound my husband still more?..."

He smiled at her...Just the lips...

"I believe I told you that it was you I blamed Mrs. Walthrop...You and your 'sister'...You freed Walthrop...Gave him the happiness Enri and I deserved...What you did now...Was merely the smallest portion of your duty...And punishment..."

Buffy too...And Dawn, no doubt...And anyone else he could lay his hands on...

What had Enri told Spike?...Destroy her in the most painful way?...

She was on the old man in a moment...She had had enough...

They went up the stairs to the platform together...She half-dragging him...

She held him by the throat...Choking...She set him down on the ledge of the platform...Where the poor bodies of his family still remained chained in their shackles...

"Will you give this up now?..." she demanded...

He looked fiercely at her...

He'll never stop...she realized...

And stood a long time looking at him...While Spike's pounding continued below at the door...

Finally she sighed...And released him...

He caught his breath a moment and smiled at her...

"It appears..." he said, "That you are after all...incapable of true human murder, Ms. Summers-Walthrop...A machine bound by built-in limitations...And no more..."

He was trembling on the ledge...The platform was quite high enough above the main floor to do the job...Just a push...

Spike...Walthrop...smashed his way through the door...And saw the bodies...And his wife and the Count high on the platform...

She stared at the old man...She'd just killed...A woman and a child...Demons, perhaps...But...

Was this old madman anything but a demon?...Of the human variety...

One more enemy out of the way...Safety for William...Their friends...And any other family they might gather around them...Someday...

And this one would be back...She could tell...Haunting them again and again...

No...Enough...She'd had enough of mad fanatics pursuing them...Some dedicated to evil...Some, like the monks who'd created Dawn...And possibly killed Joyce...Supposedly good...All determined to allow...Even force...The Slayers and those they loved to suffer to achieve their ends...

That was their philosophy, right?...The ends justify the means...

Well...She had the means...And the justifiable ends...

This was one maniac she could deal with now...Right here and now...For good...

And prove...Beyond all doubt...That she was bound by no restraints...

Fully human...

It was in her eyes...From where he stood, Walthrop...Spike could see it and recognized it...All too well...

"Buffy Rebecca...Don't..." he cried out to her...Terrified for her...

She looked at him...And the mad old man...

"Love, it's not worth it...He's not worth it..." Walthrop cried...

He didn't need a mathematical analysis of possible damage to her neural net by Warren to know what would happen to a Buffy Summers who killed a true human being...Even an enemy...

He'd met Faith...

Vitachi eyed her carefully...

He wants me to...She realized...He's not gloating at the robot who can't hurt him...He wants me to kill him...He believes I can overcome my restraints...If he pushes me...Far enough...

He knows...He's always known...That I'm human...

And that I have a soul...And that what he's after...Eternal damnation...Not for William...

For me...

"You were testing me before...With Elissa and Chesra...To see if I could kill them..." she told him...

He returned her stare, saying nothing...

"You want me to kill you..."

And condemn myself...Cut me off from my loved ones...from William...Forever...

The most painful destruction possible...Eternal...

Like hell...

He stumbled...

She pulled him back from the ledge and set him down...Gasping...

Tears were running down her face, she realized...

He looked at her...Defeated...But with a faint sense of wonder...

He bowed...An Italian count must always show the right style...Especially in defeat...

"Many thanks, dear lady..."

Spike reached them a moment later...

They managed to keep Llu, Oz, and Tim out of the chamber...BR explaining the situation to Llu carefully after Oz and Tim had taken the Count in charge back to the main house...

She and Will would like a few moments...Alone with...Their victims...She told him...Trembling a bit..

Llu embraced her gently, kissed her, and promised to settle things for them, regarding...The poor...Creatures...Nothing to worry about...All part of a Watcher's duty, my dear Buffy...

They stood alone in the chamber...On the platform...

"I killed them...Not you..." William told her...

"If I believed that...I would stake you right now..." BR told him...

"Spike and the thing using poor Dru killed them...She's gone...And if he ever surfaces again...I will kill him..." she said... To both of them...

"For you, Will...For us..."

He looked at her...Tears in his eyes...

"I...Want to pray for them...But...I don't know...If I can..."

She took his hand in hers...

"Of course you can..." gently...

"All we human beings can pray..."

Enri had been taken by Anna's reinforcements as he waited in another section of tunnel...He did not put up any fight...And admitted to the attempt on Dr. Walthrop...On his instructions, the Count insisted when they were reunited in the main house a few minutes later...

At least a few years in jail for them...Inspector Rigg noted...

Consolation prize...Buffy Rebecca thought...Thank God for the Watchers' Council and their phony citizenship papers...

And their assistance in dealing with the poor bodies of the Vitachi women...Lluwelyan having made the arrangements...After getting a few moments with the Count and Enri before they were taken...

Fortunately neither Enri nor his father had any more desire than she and Walthrop for the bodies to come to light...And agreed to Llu's offer to see their sister and mother laid to rest properly...In hallowed ground at last...

Spike must be loving this...BR noted...Humans arrested for his attempted murder...

But leave Spike for the future...And the Powers That Be to deal with...She thought...

If not now...then it surely will come...

She looked at Walthrop...It had not been Elissa and Chesra Vitachi she'd killed...

And it would not be Walthrop she might have to deal with...Someday...

The readiness is all...And her love...Her sweet Will...Was always ready...

For eternity...

As she was...

Eternity is ours...Engraved on her wedding ring... From her favorite poem...By an unknown English poet...

But they had work to do...Humans and human Slayers to protect...

A life of their own to lead...Like any other human beings...

And when the time came for them to part...For however long or briefly...They would chose...No one else...

The policemen brought Vitachi and son out to their waiting cars...Along with some of their office staff who'd been implicated in preparing the Winset blast...

BR asked Anna if charges could be dropped...At least regarding Enri and his attempt on Walthrop...And their little dinner party here...

It was up to them...Anna told her...But the Count and his son would still face charges on the blast...And with regards to young Edward's murder...

"It wasn't the Vitachis who killed Edward..." BR told her...

Just as we thought...Ever since that night at the Winset lab...Anna noted...A bit sadly...

She agreed not to press the matter of Edward's death in the case of the Count and his son...

Inspector Lestrade bowing to Holmes' gallantry towards their joint foe...

"This is by no means over..." Count Vitachi smiled at the Walthrops...As he was taken to the cars...

"He'll be back..." BR told Walthrop, holding him gently...

"Aren't they always, love?...After all who can resist the Slayer's charms?..." William smiled at her...

He hugged her...

"But the only important thing is that we are still who we need to be...If we want to stay together..."

She smiled back...A little wanly, but some of the old spirit...

We can be happy...We deserve to be happy...

For as long as we can be...Like I told Xander once...

"You're quite an expert on the duties of do-gooders there, 'Throp...For someone who just joined the team a couple of months ago..."

"One learns a great deal studying one's opponent, dear..." Spike grinned...

So Gilesian...A born Watcher...She thought...

They returned inside with the Riggs and Oz...And Tim...Who was relieved at the rescue of his dear friends...But...

He was still concerned...

And when he and the Walthrops were alone for a moment...Turned to Mrs. Walthrop...

"But then Miss...What about old Ed?..."

"Count Vitachi says he and Enri had nothing to do with his death, Tim..." BR told

him...Regarding him...

"But..." Tim began...

"You killed Ed, Timothy..." Buffy Rebecca told him gently, grabbing him suddenly by the right arm and bending him over swiftly before he could move to stop her, pressed a hidden button on his back just below his neck...

The same button she had found on Tim Jr. during her examination...And on Chesra...

A Vitachi trademark feature, no doubt...

Tim collapsed...Deactivated...

Walthrop sighed...So much for my protege...

She called the others back in...

"Well...we knew he had to be involved in some way...William sensed his emptiness the first day but wasn't sure...And ever since that lab logbook indicated there were two robots..."

What could have been more impressive to Dr. Walthrop, the junior "king" of cybernetics?...Tim bringing in Tim Jr...An interesting if rather basic robot...But followed by Ed, the true master, revealing Tim as the true masterpiece...

But...She and Walthrop had hoped...That Tim, robot or no, was innocent of the crime...

Examination of Tim revealed the answer...And proved young Ed had indeed been the genius the Vitachis had recognized when they sought to finish their "family"...

Unfortunately Tim's programming had been a little too good...

Intentionally...Ed had planned it as the icing on the cake...Improving on

the basic program for months...With the Boss, Dr. Vitachi's enthusiastic

approval...Though he'd not known that young Ed was hoping to impress

the famed Dr. Walthrop...And when Tim realized he was to be shown off...

Like a trick dog...His programming would follow a natural stimulus

response route...Display an emotional response...

Anger...

Edward had succeeded all too well...Training Tim to act...And programming him to believe that he was the cybernetist...Treating him like a friend...A brother...And Tim had responded just as he wanted him to...As close to human as one might reasonably expect to get with a program...Unfortunately Ed had chosen to run a final test of Tim's emotional response to the revelation of his true nature at the wrong moment and place...And a little too close...With a sharp instrument at hand...

The built-in antenna of the microwave transmitter controlling Tim Jr...Which Ed had forced Tim to extend from his body to demonstrate to him that he was...Just a robot...

The cops hadn't been quite as clumsy as she and Will had thought...The murder weapon had been immediately placed back in its original place undetected...Inside Tim...

But it needn't be a total loss...

"How can we let him get away with this?..." Oz asked...

"He has no sense of what he did...He doesn't even remember it...If you could call what he does remembering...It was automatically erased when he shut down for a bit after Ed died..."

"The only mistake Edward made was not to include a safety program to prevent Tim from harming humans..." she looked at Spike but did not say... "like me..."

"It shouldn't be difficult to program in a safety feature...Once that's done...There's no reason not to let him go on just as he is...A monument to his creator, really..."

She looked at the inspector...

"I think you can put this down under the heading of "industrial accident"...not murder..."

The inspector nodded, looking at Tim...

"Well, Dr. Walthrop?...If you really feel you can restrain it..."

He nodded...

"Remarkable...What you scientists can accomplish..." she smiled at them...And shook their hands...Except for BR...

Whom she nodded to...In true Holmesian fashion...And then hugged...

Little Llu beside her...And Oz...Who was due to return to Britain...Band tour to continue, he noted to BR...

And...He might just possibly consider more work with the Council...If Llu was willing to come out of retirement for his training...

"I don't think there's anything much waiting for me back home..." Oz noted... "Guess I've known that since last year..."

BR sighed and hugged him...Oz...

"We all love you, you know...You better come home to us..." she mock growled and paused...

"And she's included in that..." she finished...

He nodded...Grinning at her...Yeah...

No form of love is to be despised...

He shook hands with Will...A new experience for both of us Walthrop noted...

And in daylight no less...Oz returned...

They left...

Waving at the Walthrops...Now bound for Milan, their conference...and then...Germany...And finally, Greece...

A brief trip to see the sights...And check on the rehabilitation of a certain Goddess of Glory and Victory...Now retired...

And say hello to her charming brother...

Spike looked at Buffy Rebecca...Who was looking at poor Tim...Whom they would pack up for shipment to W/S Bionetics and Warren's skilled reprogramming...

Well...Maybe Tara's and Willow's skilled reprogramming...Warren wasn't too good with computer programming...

What have I done?...he thought...To her...And to me...

I've made her kill for me...And doubt herself...

One day...One day she may...Must...Go...Just to prove to herself that she can...

"Buffy Rebecca...You know..."

"I have a human soul, I know, sweetheart..." she smiled at him... "Thank God I died and had a chance to find out for sure, eh?...Guess things really did work out for the best with us..."

He nodded...But...

She patted his shoulder...He had had to have help...Neither she nor her sister were angry at him once they'd come to understand his plight...A drowning soul, grasping at the first straw to float his way in a century...

Buffy...She...They...Would do it again...Had done it again, she pointed out...For him...

Though it was always preferable to have a chance to consent...

But she knew the fear gnawing at him...

"I won't leave you, William..." she told him... "As long as you keep trying for me..."

She grinned...

"However I did not say I would never stake you...So...Tell Spike...To behave himself..."

There was a grim edge to her words...

He shook his head...

"What did I ever do..."

"You took the wrong turn in London over a century ago...And, believe me, Will...I thank God for it...Sorry as I am for what you...And Spike's victims...Had to go through..."

She hugged him and he went out to get some tools to deal with Tim...

She paused to look at the deactivated Tim...

You are a machine...she told him... I am a human being...

I'm not like you...She told him... I'm not...


End file.
